Questions and Confessions
by Katico
Summary: It all started with an innocent question over drinks, but escalated quickly. Now Naruto is on a mission to win Hinata's Heart. There are SPOILERS for the anime! Mostly fluff with a heart wrenching finale. A NaruHina story with hints of ShikaTema, NejiTen, and KibIno.
1. Boy Talk

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 1: Boy Talk

"Who's the hottest konochi in Konoha?"

Everyone around the table looked up from their empty sake cups at Kiba. He grinned mischievously at the collected guys around the table. Shikamaru looked at him out of the corner of his eye with a single eyebrow raised. Choji looked up from his half finished bowl of noodles, a surprised look on his usually innocent face. Naruto grinned drunkenly and chuckled a little. Neji and Shino looked at Kiba impassively. Kiba's grin turned into a the same drunken chuckle as Naruto's. Akamakru, who was laying at his feet, joined in with a wolfish grin and soft growl.

"Well?" he looked at Shikamaru who was sitting right next to him. The chunin sighed and poured another round for himself before answering.

"Must we confine this hypothetical display of masculine buffoonery to the great city of Konoha? I know of several exquisite specimens who are not from our village." Choji grinned knowingly at his teammate and refilled his own cup before tapping it with his lifelong friend's. They both took it in a single swig before setting their cups down on the table with an audible clunk in unison.

Kiba frowned slightly. "Whatever, man. Just answer the freakin' question. Though I can guess which village you're girl is from." His frown melted into a sly smile.

Shikamaru looked unconcerned as he took a handful of cashews to munch on looking at Kiba out of the corner of his eye again. Choji, as the dutiful friend, came to his rescue.

He pointed at Kiba with his chopsticks while saying, "Why do any of us have to answer first? You should. It was your question, after all." Then he picked up another bundle of noodles and slurped them down noisily.

"Fine, fine. I'll start this shindig off." He paused dramatically crossing his arms in front of himself feigning deep thought. He looked up with the same sly smile and answered. "Ino."

Shikamaru and Choji smirked. There was no question about their teammates attractiveness, but they both knew it only went skin deep. That girl was the bossiest, most self-centered women either of them had ever met, and that included Shikamaru's mom on the bossiness front. In Shikamaru's opinion a lot of what made a girl attractive, or at Kiba had so tactfully put it 'hot', was her manner and attitude.

"So, who is she Shika?" Kiba had a wolfish grin on to match Akamaru's who was now sitting up at attention. He panted happily looking as if he was enjoying to conversation just as much as his master.

Shikamaru sighed. He couldn't believe he was giving in to this foolishness. The sake must be affecting his judgement. Might as well give the simpleton what he wanted. "Temari is the most attractive woman I have ever encountered," he said with a straight face. "She has an excellent number of effective and useful jutsu's at her disposal and a good head on her shoulders. She is as competent a konochi as any you will come across. I have never know her to fail a mission assigned to her." He paused for a moment to take another sip of sake. His comrades all looked at him with incredulous looks. He smirked. "Plus she's a badass and that dress she favors shows off all the right curves." Kiba barked a laugh that Naruto joined in with. Choji just smiled through his mouthful of noodles. Even Neji cracked a grin. Shino remained impassive, though you could see the shadow of a grin at the corner of his eyes behind his sunglasses if you looked hard enough.

Kiba's laughter died out slowly. He wiped a tear from his eye and poured himself another cup of sake. After throwing it back he settled his sights on Choji. "What about you, big guy? Anyone caught your eye?"

Choji finished off his noodles before finishing. He thought for a while, then started munching on a handful of cashews. After a while he just shrugged. "Not really. I mean all the konochi I know are very admirable and attractive women, but I've never really connected with any of them. I'll be sure to let you know if I ever do, Kiba." Neji and Shikamaru chuckled at that. Kiba only gave him a disdainful look.

"Dude, I'm not taking about a connection, or Kami forbid, love. I'm taking about the basest of instincts here." His grin turned slightly feral. "If you had the choice of any konochi you know who would take to the sack?"

"Well, that's a completely different question, Kiba," Choji said with a little bit of a blush on his face. "Someone you want to sleep with may not necessarily be the most attractive woman to you. That's just a physical impulse, nothing more." He paused thinking again, but only for a moment. "If that's the case, I would have to say Ino is the most attractive woman I've ever seen, but I also know her. That erases any urge I would ever have to take her to bed." Kiba looked utterly confused.

"Why?" he asked sounding slightly dumbfounded.

Choji looked at him levelly for a moment. "Because I would want to be in control of how I give pleasure to my woman. Ino wouldn't give me or anyone else that chance." Shikamaru burst out laughing at that. Kiba just looked slightly disturbed. "So, to answer you're question, no one. At least not yet. If I had to choose based on looks alone it would be a toss up between Shika's Temari and your Ino." He paused for a moment. "Though, Hyuga Hinata is quite beautiful in a more traditional way." Neji's eyes hardened at this. It didn't go beyond Choji's notice. "I'm sorry if I offend, Neji-san. It is only the truth. She has not only become a very attractive woman and talented shinobi, but she was also the nicest girl in our graduating class. A little timid for my tastes, though." That seemed to mollify Neji slightly, but it also brought Kiba's attention to him.

"What about you, Neji? What girl is worthy of the Hyuga genius?" Kiba chuckled at Neji's scowl.

Neji relaxed into a slight smirk before answering. "As a matter of fact there is one who has found _me _worthy. You all would have found out sooner or later, so I might as well fill you in." He paused to pour himself another shot and drink it down slowly. After setting his cup down softly he looked up at them and smirked. "Ten-Ten and I are engaged to be married. So she would have to be the one I name as the 'hottest' konochi in Konoha." There was a momentary pause, then an eruption of talking all at once. Naruto actually got up to slap him on the back and say congratulations. Neji didn't even seem to mind, too much. Everyone else was still giving him their congratulations when he held up his hand for silence. He looked very pleased. "Thank you, all. We will let you know the date when Hiashi-sama has made the necessary arrangements. You are all, of course, invited."

"Wow, dude. I didn't expect that at all!" Kiba laughed out loud while Akamaru barked happily wagging his tail vigorously behind him. Once they settled down Kiba ordered another round for the table in celebration. "You have to let us know when you want to have your bachelor party. And that is not an offer. It is a prerequisite for you to be married." Neji looked a little uncomfortable with the idea, but nodded anyway knowing there was no way out of it. Kiba grinned and took a shot before leveling his gaze on Naruto. "So what about you, dude? You still hung up on Sakura, or is there a new girl who's rejecting your advances?" Naruto frowned at him.

"What about Shino? Is there a girl in you're life, man?" Naruto asked trying to redirect the conversation while still glowering at Kiba. Kiba, in turn, just shook his head and sighed.

"I have yet to find a suitable mate," was his only response.

"That's just what Choji said in fewer words, man," Naruto insisted. "If there's isn't someone you've found 'suitable to be your mate', who have you considered? For even the slightest moment?"  
Shino pushed his sunglasses up on his nose a little. "I have considered everyone." The assembled party just looked at him in silence as he looked back at all of them in turn. He sighed slightly and poured another shot for himself. He took it in a single gulp before finishing. "The first I considered was Sakura. She is intelligent and has the gift of learning things and retaining them quickly. This would be a good quality for my children to acquire. However, she was very obviously in love with another who I do not think it necessary to name. Next I considered my teammate Hinata. She has many admirable qualities, including determination and compassion. Qualities necessary in a mother. However, she also was in love with another. I considered Ino, briefly, but found her too abrasive and single minded to be a good mother to my children. When I saw Ten-Ten fight in the chunin exams I was impressed, but saw the obvious devotion she had to Neji soon after, even at the time, so gave it no further thought. There are others, but I will spare you the analysis. In conclusion I have found no konochi suitable for me as of yet." He paused looking at their irritated expressions. "If I must make a conclusion based solely on appearance I would choose Sakura."

"So, why not just tell the truth and say that's the real reason you thought of Sakura in the first place? That's why I wanted to go out with her," Naruto said with a grin while pouring himself another shot.

"Her appealing looks were merely a bonus, Naruto. I considered her first for the reasons I stated. She is smart. Certainly the smartest konochi of our class. Perhaps even the smartest shinobi of our class, though that is yet to be determined. I think Shikamaru has her beat at strategy." At that Shikamaru raised his refilled glass to him and drained it. "Now, the only one left to answer is you, Naruto. There is no more hiding. Who do you want to bear your children?"

Naruto scowled at the bug master. "Well, I don't know about all that, Shino, but to answer Kiba's question the hottest konochi I've ever seen is that mystery girl in the waterfall." Kiba immediately burst out laughing. Naruto promptly punched him in the arm, hard.

"What are you talking about, Naruto?" Shikamaru asked with a crocked smile. Naruto glared at him.

"There was a mission that Kiba, Shino, Hinata, and I went on 4 years ago to find a bug that would help us track down Sasuske after he defected. On the first night we were gone I woke up in the middle of the night. I don't know why, but I was restless so I got up to take a walk. I heard a waterfall nearby and I thought that would be a good way to settle whatever nerves had woken me up. When I got to there there was this ultra-hot girl dancing on the water. Well, that's not quite right. It was more like she was gliding on it. It looked like she was doing a kata and the water was flowing with her chakra in ribbons around her. It was beautiful." He paused for a moment looking at the table, but not seeing it. "She was beautiful, too. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen before or since. And you know I traveled around with Ero-senin for 3 years, so I've seen my share of beautiful women." He looked at them all defiantly, daring them to laugh.

Shikamaru was amused, but not at Naruto's expense. "What did she look like?" he asked already guessing the answer.

Naruto looked uncomfortable with the question. "Well, it was really dark, so I didn't actually see her clearly. But I know she was beautiful cause of the way she moved." He said in a rush. "She was so graceful. Perfect, really." He blushed lightly and looked at them all. "I wish I could give you more than that, but that's all I got."

"Well, didn't you say anything to this perfect girl?" Shikamaru prodded, a grin spreading on his face.

"Well, yeah!" Naruto nearly yelled. He blushed a little more, then continued. "I said something, but then I slipped on a rock and fell into the water. When I came back up she was gone."

Shikamaru just smiled. "Well, let all agree she wasn't a water nymph of something like that. Then we must ask ourselves who this mystery woman was."

Kiba barked a laugh out. "I told him then and I'll tell him again. She was a figment of his imagination. He was sleepwalking or something."

Shikamaru just smirked at him. "You're so sure? Are there no other possibilities?" Shino suddenly coughed loudly.

"Excuse me," he said calmly. Though his sunglasses covered his eyes it was obvious to everyone at the table he was looking directly at Shikamaru. Shikamaru just smiled at him innocently.

"Oh, think nothing of it, my friend." The shadow master's look suddenly turned very devious. "But I don't know why you don't want him to know the truth."

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked knowing they were talking about him. Choji took a couple more handfuls of cashews watching the exciting drama unfold.

"Because she does not want him know, or she would have approached him," Shino responded easily keeping his gaze locked on Shikamaru.

"Are you so sure?" Shikamaru's eyes lit up. "Women are not always predictable creatures. In my experience it is the other way around as a matter of fact. Why not tell him?" The two sat locked in a silent combat of wills for several minuted before Naruto stood up and slammed his open palms on the table.

"Is there something the two of you want to share with me?!" he just about yelled. With a glare from the bartender he took his seat again and asked more calmly, " I mean, seriously guys. If you don't tell me what the hell you're fighting about I just might beat it out of one of you in a minute." Shikamaru's grin widened. Shino remained stoic.

"What bad could come of it, Shino? He's already shown interest. You think that will diminish with a name. It can only work in her favor really." The two shinobi remained locked in stares for another couple minutes before Naruto stood up again. This time his look was distant and a little confused.

"Hinata?" he just about whispered. He gaze sharpened and brightened as his tone took on a triumphant tone. "Hinata was the girl in the waterfall!" he proclaimed to the world loudly. His tone shifted suddenly as he spoke quietly as if to himself. "How didn't I see this before. Oh my Kami! It's so obvious now. Oh my Kami!" He sank into his chair with a dopey smile plastered to his face. His gaze focused and found Kiba, who was sitting next to him looking flabbergasted. "I told you she was real!"

"And now that you know this, what are you going to do about it, Naruto?" Shino asked quietly.

Naruto froze, turning his gaze to his sudden prosecutor. The only sound at the table was Choji munching happily on his cashews waiting for the answer. Naruto stared blankly for a few moments then his eyes focused and he smiled.

"I'll go win her heart," he said with a confident grin on his face. "I fell in love with that girl the moment I saw her on that water. Now that I know it was Hinata I won't waste another minute. It's so obvious now I can't believe I was so blind. Well, no. I can believe that, but I should have seen it since then. Now that I know it I promise you I'll make her my bride before I become Hokage!" He flashed them a fabulously wide grin while giving them the good guy thumbs up pose. Neji sighed, but smiled internally. Shikamaru look smugly at Shino. Choji laughed openly at the whole situation. Kiba finally smiled widely and thumped Akamaru on the back.

"Looks like I owe you 10 milk bones, buddy," he said softly. "I never thought that idiot would figure it out before she worked up the nerve to ask him out. Though I guess Shika did have a hand in his conclusion. My fault I guess." He looked down at his canine companion and grinned. "I'm not sorry about that at all." He winked at the huge dog and got a loud "woof!" and a lick on the face to go with it.

Naruto was still riding on cloud nine when Neji cleared his throat loudly, and meaningfully. Naruto looked at him and his giddy expression faltered. "Don't tell me you're gonna stand in the way of this?" Naruto asked with a worried expression on his face.

Neji just smiled and shook his head. "No. There is no one who would suite my cousin better than you, Naruto, but Hiashi-sama may not see it that way. He is a very traditional leader and you are a clanless orphan. I don't want to seem cruel, Naruto, I only speak the truths that Hiashi-sama will pay attention to. You must prove yourself to him in order to win the hand of his eldest and the future clan leader. He might have intended Hanabi to succeed him before, but since Hinata has proved herself to be a more than competent shinobi and fine leader in recent years Hiashi-sama's has chosen her to succeed him after all. It may be a relatively easy act to win my cousin's heart, but her father's may be a completely different matter."

Naruto gave Neji an incredulous look. "Dude, seriously? Winning Hinata's heart will be so much harder. You heard Shikamaru. Konochi are totally unpredictable. Especially when it comes to love and romancin'." There was silence at the table for the full count of 3 seconds before everyone burst into laughter. Even Shino was chuckling lightly. "What?!" Naruto demanded.

Shikamaru recovered first. "It's nothing, Naruto. We are just impressed by your confidence. Hiashi is a very proud man. He will not be an easy person to convince. And Hinata is a very shy girl. Why else would she disappear on you when you tried to talk to her at the waterfall?" Naruto's face blushed bright red for a moment before he stammered out an answer. "Y-you're right. Of course that's the reason she r-ran from me. No other reason. Just cause she was sh-shy. Yep. That's why. Makes total sense now..." If anything his blush had deepened by the time he was finished. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his response, but didn't push him. Neji, however, did.

"Naruto, you're a terrible liar. You will want to work on that in case you're ever captured by enemy shinobi. Now, you have been caught by me. What are you hiding about your encounter with my cousin?"

"Ahh, nothing Neji-san. Nothing at all. Why would you jump to conclusions like that?" Neji just glared at him. A sweat drop fell down the side of his face giving him away. "Fine!" he sighed giving up and hanging his head in defeat. "She might have run away 'cause she might have been naked when I saw her," he mumbled.

There was complete silence for several seconds. Kiba almost burst out laughing, but didn't want the negative energy turned to him, so struggled to remain quiet and still. Choji was blushing almost as brightly as Nuruto, while Shikamaru just looked amused and mildly surprised. However, a killing intent was starting to radiate from Neji's side of the table. Naruto felt it immediately and stood up holding his hands in front of him defensively.

"Look man, it was totally dark out and I didn't see anything! Just an outline. Man, it's not my fault! It's not like I was peeking or anything. I was just going for a walk to try and get back to sleep." Naruto looked near panic and was backing up frantically as Neji rose from his seat.

Neji glowered at Naruto for several moments before relaxing minimally. "I wouldn't mention that ever again if I was you, Naruto. Ever..." he said through clenched teeth. With that he slapped a few coins on the table. He looked at the rest of the table and sighed deeply to calm himself before continuing. "It was fun tonight. I look forward to my bachelor party. Let me know when you want to get together for it. Though, I have to warn you, Ten-Ten might want to join us depending on what you guys decide to do." He sighed again and cracked a slight smile at Kiba's incredulous look. "Don't worry I'll try to talk her out of it, Kiba." He then turned and walked out the door. Naruto let out an audible sigh and sank back down into his seat. Kiba finally let out his fit of laughter while Akamaru joined in with a few barks. Naruto couldn't quite tell, but they sounded reprimanding to him. Kiba slowly stopped laughing, brushed a few tears from his eyes, then focused on Naruto with a lop-sided grin.

"So how are you gonna go win Hinata's heart, buddy?" Naruto's insides froze. He hadn't thought that far ahead. Kiba could see it on his face and chuckled. "Well, let me give you some advice. Why don't you try talking to her first? Also, she has a thing for tea." He started cackling again while Akamaru joined in with a more cheerful bark. Naruto, however, had his hand on his chin and was lost in his own world of thought.

Shikamaru looked over at Shino while Naruto puzzled over the pointless question that plagued him. "Should we tell him?" Shikamaru asked softly enough that only Shino and Choji heard him. Shino leaned down enough to let the shadow master see his sly smile behind his high collar.

"No. It will be good for their relationship for him to figure it out on his own. I have to thank you, Shikamaru. She still does not have the confidence to approach him, but this will make her both happier and stronger. You are indeed the best tactician I have ever encountered. Did you know how all of it would transpire?"

"All except that bit about Hinata being naked when he saw her at the waterfall." Shino smiled again and poured the three of them another cup of sake. Shikamaru took it, tapped it against Shino's, then Choji's, and downed it in a gulp.


	2. Requesting Time Off

I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 2: Requesting Time Off

The next day Naruto strolled down the street toward the Hokage tower still pondering how he was going to approach Hinata. Even though he had known her for years he was ashamed when he realized he didn't know her very well. It might scare her off if he used his usual direct approach and just asked her out like he had with Sakura. She had always been nice to him, but as Choji had pointed out she was nice to everyone. It was just her sweet nature. That thought made him smile softly. He had never thought about her much, but now that he was he saw her in a completely different light. He had sat up for half the night after getting home from the bar just thinking about her and remembering small things she had done in their youth that he had overlooked at the time. The more he thought about her the more he liked her. She was much more refined than any of the other konochi from his class and actually acted like a lady instead of resorting to violence whenever he spoke. He guessed that came from growing up in a prestigious clan like the Hyuga, but it hadn't made her stuck up or snobbish the way Neji used to be. And Choji had been right last night. She was quite beautiful. He had never noticed before because she always acted so shy and nervous around him. He had always wondered about that. Maybe she could see the Kyubi's energy in him when she used her Byakugan and it freaked her out, but she was to polite to run away screaming. He didn't like that thought.

"Only one possibility," he muttered to himself shoving his hands in his pockets. His thoughts remained dark as he reached the tower. He made his way up to the top floor. Shizune was at her desk outside Tsunade's office looking through a stack of mission reports. She looked up as Naruto approached and smiled.

"Well, good morning, Naruto-kun. What brings you here today? I don't remember you being scheduled for any missions recently," she asked pleasantly.

"Oh, not much. I just wanted to ask Oba-chan for a favor. Is she busy with any visitors right now?" He asked walking up to the big doors.

"No, but she is very busy right now, Naruto-kun. If you want to schedule an-" Naruto cut her off by opening the door and striding through. He closed it behind himself before she could say, "appointment. Honestly, I don't know why I even bother sometimes." She sighed loudly and went back to the report in her hand.

Tsunade looked up from the reports on her desk at the sudden interruption. "You really need to learn to knock, brat," she said looking back down at the papers in front of her.

"Sure thing, Oba-chan," Naruto said grinning widely. Tsunade's eye twitched slightly at the address as it always did, but left it at that.

"So what do you want? I don't have any missions for you right now. In fact, I want to keep you in the village until we get more intel on the remaining Akatsuki cells." She braced herself for the whining rebuttal to her decision.

"Really?! That's great! Thanks Oba-chan! That's actually why I stopped by today. I wanted to ask you for some time off." He grinned at her widely putting his hands behind his head. Only her many years of experience as a ninja kept the surprise off her face. As long as she had know him Naruto was always eager for the next mission, sometimes taking new ones the same day he returned from completed assignments. He was usually moody and sulky when there were none to give him. It would have been annoying if his pouting wasn't so damned adorable, though that thought was something she had never and _would_ never share with anyone. But this new reaction sparked her curiosity. What could be so important or interesting to him here in Konoha that could make him request time off? She cracked a small, sly grin and studied him across her cluttered desk.

"Really? Well, that's a surprise. And here I thought you were just gonna pout at me until I found something for you to do." Her grin widened at his incredulous look.

"I do not pout, Oba-chan." He crossed his arms in front of himself daring her to disagree.

"Regardless, I'm curious, Naruto, what could be so important it makes you ask for time off from work?" She laced her fingers together and leaned on them enjoying the startled and worried look that replaced his scowl.

"Well, it's actually kinda personal." He continued to look uncomfortable while looking at everything in her office except her. She couldn't believe her eyes. He was blushing! It was subtle, but definitely there. This was gonna be good.

"Well, without a proper reason or excuse a leave of absence is out of the question I'm afraid." She had to work to keep the smile off her face as she looked back down at the documents in front of her, not really paying any attention to them.

"But you just said you didn't have anything for me anyways!" he countered defiantly.

"Not outside the village, no. But there are still plenty of missions that need to be attended to here and there's always guard duty." It was hard not to look up at him to see his reaction, but knew it would sink in a little better if she continued to feign indifference. Naruto _hated_ guard duty. If anything could get him to spill the info it was the threat of guard duty. She heard him let out a pained moan and finally looked up at him.

He sighed and put his hands on his hips looking away from her. His blush had deepened which only made her smile come back. "Fine. If you must know I'm interested in someone and need time to figure out how to get her to go out with me." The honorable and distinguished Hokage couldn't help it. She burst out laughing. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO LAUGH ABOUT IT, OBA-CHAN!" He yelled defensively. He crossed his arms in front of himself again and pouted at her. Slowly she regained her composure while whipping a tear away from her eye.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, that was just rather unexpected. But why do you need time off for that? You're personal life shouldn't interfere with your work, especially at such a critical time for the village." She waited for a moment before he answered. His expression was very serious when he finally looked up at her.

"Well, I guess that's kinda why. With everything happening with the Akatsuki I don't know what's gonna happen in the future. I don't want to miss out on anything else in my life, just in case...in case I'm not strong enough to beat them. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I mean, I have important people who I want to protect, but its somehow different with her. Plus I only just found out it was her that I felt this way about and I just want to see if she could feel that way about me, but she's from a really important clan, and I'm, well...I don't have any clan and I'm the Kyubi container. So I need time to figure out how to get her to accept me and then I need to figure out how to get her clan to let me marry her. I know work is important, but this is a really delicate situation that needs all of my attention if I'm gonna pull it off. I just don't want to mess it up."

Tsunade sat utterly stunned at his heartfelt speech. Did he really just say he wanted to marry this girl? And what did he mean he had only just found out it was her he felt this way about? It was a little puzzling and her curiosity was dying to ask him to explain himself a little more thoroughly, but she knew she shouldn't press the matter too far just yet. It was obvious he was serious about this and if anyone deserved a little R&R it was Naruto. He was just trying to find a little happiness. The kid had not had an easy life and here he was just trying to reach out and find someone to connect with. She was very fond of Naruto and only wanted him to be happy. He reminded her so much of her little brother. It almost brought a tear to her eye. Instead she just smiled at him.

"I appreciate your honesty, Naruto. That was very touching. And you're right. If she is from an important clan you have your work cut out for you. Consider your request granted. However, if something dire comes up I reserve the right to call you back into work."

Naruto finally let out the breath he had been holding since he finished his impromptu speech and smiled back at her. "Thanks, Oba-chan. I really do appreciate it." He turned to leave, then as an after thought he looked back over his shoulder. "By the way, I've been wondering about something. Can any of the special eye blood limits distinguish the Kyubi's charka inside me?"

This time she couldn't keep the surprise off her face. Her eyebrows shot up and she blinked several times before asking, "What?"

"I've been wondering if any of the special eyes, like the Sharingan, or say the Byakugan, can see the Kyubi's chakra inside of me." He waited patiently carefully keeping any emotion from his face.

She put her chin in her hand and thought about that. "I'm not sure, Naruto. If I had to guess I would say only if you were using the Kyubi's chakra at the time. It is very unlikely any blood limit would be able to see the Nine-tail's chakra through the Yondaime's seal normally."

He cracked a grin and the tension left his body. "Thanks, Oba-chan. Just wondering." He turned and left the office closing the door softly behind himself. Tsunade just stared at the door for a few moments before realization struck. "Oh Kami, Naruto, not the Hyuga. As if Hiashi wasn't troublesome enough already." She groaned and her head sunk to the desk. After a moment she looked up with a soft grin on her face. "Go get 'em, kid," she said softy. "If anyone can get through to that man I'd put my money on you." Her brow furrowed in concern. "Damn, I hope I didn't just jinx him." She shrugged it off and went back to the reports in front of her.


	3. The Game Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 3: The Game Plan

Naruto left the tower in significantly higher spirits than he had entered. Now he just had to figure out how to tactfully get to know Hinata and then get her to fall for him. His feet took him automatically to his favorite training grounds while he pondered his problem. When he arrived several minutes later he leapt up onto of one of the training logs and sat down cross-legged. He crossed his arms in front of himself and tilted his head to the side thinking...

An hour later he let out a frustrated sigh and scratched his head furiously. He couldn't think of anything. His mind kept wandering to past memories of Hinata and what she might look like without that bulky jacket on. He sighed again and rested his chin in his hands. He stared out over the training grounds. There was no one else here today. Maybe a quick work out would help him think. He leapt down and walked to the center of the field. He focused his chakra and created 20 shadow clones.

"Alright guys, lets have some fun!" he yelled punching a fist in the air. They all yelled their agreement together and started attacking the real Naruto all at once. He dodged the kunai and shuriken that flew through the air and avoided the taijutsu attacks rather than blocking so he didn't dispel any of the clones too quickly. When 2 of his clones decided to form a Rasengan, however, he thought it was time to draw the line. He threw a kunai at the offending clone that it would easily block, then 2 more which it would have a lot more trouble blocking while maintaining the jutsu at the same time. His attack worked and the clone poofed out of existence as the first of the second round of kunai made contact. The second flew through the smoke and poofed the other clone who had been adding the rotation to the spinning ball of chakra. None of the other clones attempted the Rasengan after that, though a few others did use different less dangerous jutsus.

After an hour of this Naruto had worked up a pretty good sweat and had dispelled about half the clones. Three of them rushed him at the same time throwing a barrage of punches all at once. It was too much for him to just dodge, so he decided to dispel all of them. He caught 2 incoming punches in each hand and ducked the last. With the downward momentum of his dodge he flipped the two clones backward causing their arms to dislocate in the process. Both clones poofed as they hit the ground. The third was aiming a roundhouse kick at his back, but Naruto planted his hands on the ground and landed a well placed kick to the clone's other leg knocking it to the ground. Before the clone could recover a kunai went through his heart dispelling him.

Naruto stood up calmly taking in the remaining 6 clones surrounding him. He grinned and they all grinned back. The air was suddenly full of flying shuriken. Most of the clones poofed out of existence by the time the air cleared and Naruto sported a cut on his cheek where a shuriken had grazed him. Naruto looked at the remaining clone and charged. Their exchange lasted about 5 minutes before Naruto landed a clean uppercut and sent the clone flying backwards. It poofed as it hit the ground. Through the smoke he saw two figures approaching. As the smoke settled he recognized Lee's green leotard and bowl haircut.

"Well done, Naruto! Good show! Forgive the intrusion on your youthful display of training, but we were passing by and wanted to say hello!" Lee smiled as he came to stand next to him giving him a friendly pat on the back.

Naruto smiled back at Lee and wiped the blood from his cheek. "No problem, man. I'm just finishing up anyways." Naruto looked at the other figure still slightly obscured by smoke. He expected it to be either Neji or Ten-Ten, but realized the figure was too petite to be either of them. As the smoke cleared it revealed a lightly blushing Hinata.

"Hello, Naruto-kun," she said quietly looking at him shyly. He felt a flush rise to his face and smiled back at her broadly.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! How are you today?" he said in his usual excited tone. He smiled broadly at her.

Hinata's eyes widened and her blush deepened. Did Naruto really just called her 'Hinata-chan'? He had never been so friendly with her before. After a moment she remembered he had asked her a question. "Ano, I'm very well, thank you." She smiled as his grin widened. He had the most wonderful smile.

It gave her tingles whenever she saw it and he seemed to be smiling just for her at the moment which caused her heart to flutter.

"So what are you two doing out together?" Naruto asked.

"We are out attending to preparations for the upcoming wedding of Neji and Ten-Ten!" Lee said excitedly. "I am so full of youthful pride and joy at their future union! Is it not wonderful news, Naruto?"

"Yeah, it is. Neji told the gang last night over drinks. I'm looking forward to the wedding," Naruto replied chuckling at Lee's reaction. "Well, I don't want to keep you from your errands," he said reluctantly looking over at Hinata again.

"Well, if you're done with your youthful training why not join us? I would love to discuss some of your taijutsu stances with you. We caught the last several minutes of your encounter with your shadow clone and I have some notes for you," Lee said turning to go back the way they came.

"Really? That would be great! Thanks, Lee," Naruto said following them back toward the village. Not only was it a great opportunity to get pointers from Lee on taijutsu, but he hadn't really wanted Hinata to leave so soon. Seeing her now after recent events had nearly knocked the wind out of him. She wasn't wearing her usual ninja outfit and looked absolutely stunning. She was wearing long black fitted pants and a lavender teeshirt with the Konoha swirl on the front that complemented her eyes perfectly with her forehead protector loosely hung around her neck as usual. Her long black hair swayed back and forth as the walked across the field. He found himself longing to reach out and touch it. Naruto looked back at Lee who was already going through little tips that would have improved his fight with his clone.

Lee came to a finish as they reached the street. "Really, Naruto I would suggest getting a real taijutsu partner. Nothing is better than the unpredictability of a true adversary," he concluded.

'A training partner, huh?' Naruto thought to himself. Then it hit him. That was it! He could ask Hinata to be his training partner! Would that be too forward of him? He didn't think so. They were fellow shinobi and had been classmates at the academy after all.

"You know you're absolutely right, Lee. I need to find someone who would be willing to spar with me. Clones are great and all, but I'm too familiar with their attack patterns." And now time for the moment of truth. "Would you be interested, Hinata?" He mentally held his breath.

She looked up at him with a shocked expression on her face. Had she just heard that right? Naruto wanted to spar with her. She couldn't believe her luck. This would be the perfect opportunity to show him how much she had improved.

"I would love to, Naruto-kun!" She blushed at how loudly that had come out. She had not meant to yell at him. 'Way to go, Hinata,' she chided herself.

Naruto, however, just laughed out loud. Firstly, because she had said yes and actually seemed excited about it, and secondly, because he had never heard he raise her voice so much before. It suited her he decided.

"Awesome! Thanks, Hinata-chan! You're really helping me out. So, when do you want to get together? I'm free everyday," he asked her excitedly getting right to business. She couldn't help but smile at his reaction. He sounded so happy it felt like her heart might burst. And she could have sworn his eyes were twinkling with excitement. Well, that was Naruto for you. He was always looking for anything to make him stronger and give him an edge. She was just glad she could be part of it.

"Well, I'll be pretty busy with wedding preparations until the wedding, but I'm sure I can find some free time everyday to spar with you," she said looking down at the street with a shy smile.

"Really? We can spar everyday? You're sure that won't be too much trouble with everything you have to do for the wedding? I wouldn't want you overworking yourself." Suddenly a brilliant idea blossomed in his head. He kept himself from smiling and prayed she would go along with it.

"Really, its fine, Naruto-kun. I'm sure I'll be able to manage." She hoped he wasn't thinking of backing out and asking someone else to spar with him instead.

He grinned internally. "Hmmmm. There's only one solution I can think of," he said crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side in mock thought. Her breath caught in her throat. Was he thinking of someone to replace her? He looked over at her out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "I'll just have to help you with the wedding preparations everyday before we get the chance to spar together." She stopped in the middle of the street at his suggestion. He and Lee stopped as well waiting for her answer. "That is, if you, Neji, and Ten-Ten wouldn't mind." He put his hand behind his head and smiled at her shyly. She could hardly believe it. Not only would she get to spend time with him everyday sparring she would get to see him even longer while running all over town making arrangements and delivering invitations and anything else her father could think of for her to do before the big day.

Finally she found her voice again. "Really? You would really do that, Naruto-kun? That would be an incredible help. There's still so much to do."

He just flashed her one of his fabulous smiles that sent her heart a flutter once again. "It's the least I can do. You're helping me out after all."

"In that case, we would welcome the extra help. I'm sure Neji-niisan and Ten-Ten-san would agree. Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said softly clasping her hands together in front of her.

"Don't mention it! I'm happy to help out. So when do we start?" He looked genuinely excited about the entire situation.

"Ano, I'm not sure. Oto-sama gives me a list of things that need doing every morning, then I have the day to finish them. If it's not too much trouble could I come get you at your home when I am ready to start tomorrow?" She blushed at the thought of visiting Naruto at his home alone.

"Sure that's fine by me. I live 5 blocks North of the Hokage tower. It's right across from a bookstore called Takanaki Books." She nodded. She knew where he lived, but didn't know how'd he'd react to her knowing so remained quiet. "Great! I'll see you tomorrow then, Hinata-chan! Good to see you again Lee." He smiled at them both and took off down the street the way they had come. Hinata watched him disappear around a corner with a distant, happy look on her face.

"He has such a youthful spirit, doesn't he?" Lee said with his hands on his hips. He turned away with a smile still on his face and headed off down the street again.

"Yes," was all Hinata said as she finally turned away and followed him.

As Naruto ran down the street toward his place he couldn't keep goofy grin off his face. That had gone even better than he could have hoped. Not only did she say she would train with him_ everyday_, he also got to spend time more time with her just hanging out doing little chores all day. It couldn't have turned out better even if he had a brain like Shikamaru's and planned out every little thing a week in advance. And maybe he would get points with Hiashi, too, for helping out with the wedding. Now he just had to get home and get his apartment clean before Hinata showed up in the morning.

It took the better part of the day and a good chunk of the night to get his apartment presentable, even with the help of several clones. He vowed he wouldn't let that many empty ramen containers build up again. When he was finally done it was after midnight.

When he did climb into bed he couldn't get to sleep though. He was so excited about how well everything was turning out. He thought back to their encounter that morning. She had looked so nice in civilian clothes. He wondered if she would wear something like that the next day. He smiled up at the ceiling remembering how loud she had gotten when she said she would be his training partner. He wondered how loud he could make her get in the future. A furious blush suddenly engulfed his face as his brain twisted that thought into something much less innocent.

"Stupid, Ero-senin," Naruto mumbled turning over in bed. It took him a long time to get to sleep after that.

Hinata took a deep calming breath. She was standing outside her father's study later that night. She had already talked with Neji-niisan and Ten-Ten about Naruto's offer to help with the wedding preparations. Neji"s reaction had puzzled her a little. He had smiled knowingly and chuckled a little, almost as if there was an inside joke there that she had missed. But instead of revealing the joke he had simply said he welcomed any extra help they could get seeing as Hiashi-sama had set the date for a week from now. Ten-Ten had been a little surprised by the offer, but welcomed it whole heartedly. She still wondered about Neji's reaction, but that would have to wait. She would need her head clear and confident if she was going to win over her father. Hiashi-sama didn't know Naurto after all and would be far more suspicious of his generous offer to help. But she would fight to make him see that was just Naruto's nature. She wouldn't let this opportunity slip past her because of her father's. She put on a determined face and knocked on the door.

"Enter," came Hiashi's calm voice from the other side of the door. She took one more deep breath and opened the door. "Ah, Hinata. Come in. How are the preparations coming along?" he said with a slight smile on his face. His disposition toward her had improved beyond her wildest dreams in the last couple of years. A hopeful spark flashed in her chest. She smiled back at him and bowed before coming in and sitting down across the desk from him.

"Very well, Oto-sama. Lee and I ordered the invitations to your specifications and they have been sent out to our foreign guests. All should reach their destinations no later than tomorrow evening," she said in a very business like fashion.

"Excellent, thank you, Hinata. Tomorrow I've been informed Lee has a mission to attend with Guy-sensei. You will have to deliver the Konaha invitations yourself I'm afraid. I also need you to speak with the caterers and order the floral arrangements. I'm sorry it's such a heavy load tomorrow, but there is still much to get done."

Hinata couldn't believe her luck. She seized her chance. "Actually, Oto-sama, I ran into another of my old classmates today while out with Lee. He offered his help in running my errands if you and Neji didn't mind. Since there is still so much to do I could accept his generous offer. It would help me out enormously." She smiled gently at him hoping not to let it show how desperately she wanted him to say yes.

"That is quite generous of this anonymous friend of yours. Might I ask whose generosity I may be accepting?" Hiashi asked with a little bit of edge in his voice.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Oto-sama. He is close friends with Neji. He went to the academy with me and fought Neji at the Chunin exams several years ago."

Hiashi's eyes lit up with recognition. "Yes, I remember the boy." He sat for a moment pondering. It seemed like hours to Hinata, but she knew to have patience. It wasn't a good idea to interrupt this critical moment. She clenched her hands involuntarily just for a moment, but kept a calm expression as she waited for his disicion. "That boy has a strong spirit as I recall. It was one of the biggest upsets I can remember at the Chunin exams. If I'm not mistaken, he is the Hokage's favorite, too, isn't he?" He looked up at Hinata's startled expression and smiled at her warmly. "You have grown enormously as a shinobi, Hinata-chan, but I can still see your tells. You are keeping something from me. What is it?"

She paled slightly, but internally admitted defeat and sighed heavily. "Naruto-kun is very special to me. His offer to help this afternoon was unexpected, but very welcome as far as I am concerned. I...I want the chance to spend more time with him, Oto-sama." She put her hand over her heart and looked down into her lap for a moment. Then looking him square in the eyes she said, "I love him. I have for a long time. And now he's asked me to be his sparring partner and to spend time with me. Please say yes, Oto-sama!"

"Sparring partner, huh?" Hiashi looked slightly amused and more than a little surprised.

Hinata gasped slightly. She hadn't intended to let that part slip. It wasn't that she wasn't going to tell him, she just wanted to make it seem like she was paying him back for helping out with the wedding. "I was going to tell you, I just...I'm sorry," she blushed slightly and hung her head a little.

"Hinata, you are a grown konochi. Who you train with is your business. I might have had more to say about it when you were young and still learning, but you are old enough to start making your own decisions. I am very moved by your little speech, but you must understand one very important thing. You are the heir to the Hyuga household. As such your life is not only your own. You may have decided this Naruto is worthy of you, and he may very well be, but he is not worthy of your name or position. I do not mean to be cruel, my daughter, but this is truth of the matter. The elders will not stand for the heir to our house marring beneath her status. If it were up to me I would allow it, but there is more than just your happiness to consider. Our bloodline must be protected."

Hinata was struck speechless for a few moments. When she finally came out of her fog she looked her father squarely in the face. "Am I to understand _you_ would not stand in the way if he were to one day to reciprocate my feelings, as unlikely as I feel that to be?"

Hiashi considered for a moment. "I have come to trust your judgement, Hinata. If you feel he is worth then that is all I need to know, but the elders will not allow it."

Hinata smiled. A true genuine, heartfelt smile. "That is all I needed to know, Oto-sama. Thank you." She rose to leave and bowed once more. "With your leave, I bid you a good night." She walked to the door and turned just before leaving the room gracing him with one more perfect smile. "Truly, thank you, Touchan." She quietly closed the door behind her. Hiashi watched the place where she had stood for a few moments, then smiled. This Naruto had changed Neji for the better years ago and now it seemed he was doing the same for his daughter. It actually warmed his heart to see her smile like that. It reminded him of his wife. Hinata had grown to be so much like her not only in appearance, but also manner. He sighed and looked down at his desk.

"The two of you will have a hard battle ahead of you if you hope to win over the elders. Good luck, my daughter."


	4. Getting to Know Each Other

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 4: Getting to Know Each Other

A rapping at his door woke Naruto the next morning. He looked at the clock next to his bed through blurry eyes and saw it was a little after 9:00.

"SHIT!" he yelled as he dashed out of bed. He threw on a pair of pants and ran out of the room tripping over several things in his rush to get to the front door. When he pulled it open Hinata stood there in her usual ninja garb raising her hand to knock again.

"Sorry, Hinata-chan! I must have overslept. I hope you weren't waiting long. Do you want to come in?" Naruto said in a hurry. He looked at her for a moment and realized she was blushing furiously for some reason and wouldn't meet his eyes. When he looked down he realized why. He had pants on, but no shirt. "Oh, oops. Why don't you come in and I'll finish getting dressed." He stepped out of her way as she mutely crossed into the room and removed her shoes. "Uhh, have a seat. Can I get you anything? I think there's some milk in the fridge." She just shook her head and mutely sat down at his dining room table. He scratched his head nervously. "Well, I'll be back in a minute." As he made his way back to him bedroom he rapped himself on the head. 'Why to go, Uzamaki,' he silently thought to himself.

Back in the living room Hinata finally let out the breath she had been holding and tried to get her blushing under control. If they were going to be sparring partners she would have to get used to seeing him without his shirt on. She might have to do some minor first aid for instance, but she hadn't been prepared for that. She blushed again. He was _sooo_ buff. Not that it was surprising. He was a ninja after all, but she had never seen a boy with his shirt off before, much less Naruto. Sure, she had fantasied about it, but the real thing was much more detailed than anything she could have thought up. The way the muscles moved as he had reached up and scratched his head, or the way his chest moved up and down slightly with his breathing. It made her want to wrap her arms around him and listen to his breathing, his heartbeat. Maybe even see how fast she could make that heartbeat go. She started to blush again. She rapped herself lightly on the head. 'No! Bad, Hinata! Calm thoughts. Pure thoughts.' She took a deep breath and thought about her list of chores for the day.

While she thought about slightly less embarrassing things a fully clothed Naruto walked back in the room. He smiled at her timidly as if asking her forgiveness. She smiled back at him and he relaxed noticeably.

"Sorry about that. So, what do you have planned for us today?" He pulled up another stool and sat across from her. His smile softened as he looked at her and she was pleased when it didn't make her blush, but instead filled her with confidence for some reason. She sat up a little straighter.

"Its not many things, but they're time intensive I'm afraid. We have about 30 invitations to deliver all over Konaha, we need to speak to the caterer about the menu, and finally pick out the floral arrangements from the Yamanaka flower shop. Sorry, but I don't know if we'll have a lot of time to train today."

"Don't worry about that. Work first, play later, right? Plus I can deal with all the invitations easily enough! Do you have them?"

Hinata furrowed her brow in confusion. "No we need to pick them up first."

"Well, lets get going then!" he grabbed her hand and ran out the door with the poor blushing girl in tow. "Lead the way!"

When they finally got to the shop Hinata went inside while Naruto waited outside. She came outside with a large box full of addressed envolopes. "Ok, Naruto. How exactly are you going to take care of all of these easily enough?" she asked with curiosity.

He just smiled and made a handsign. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled. With a puff of smoke the street was suddenly filled with Narutos. "Ok, everybody! Take and invitation and deliver it to the address on the envelope! This is really important! NO messing up! If you don't know the address don't be afraid to ask for directions!" The mass of Narutos all yelled "Understood!" and grabbed one invitation each out of the box and disappeared in various directions running down the street or up onto rooftops. Once they were all out of sight the real Naruto turned back to a startled Hinata and smiled. "One down two to go!" She couldn't help but laugh. They started up the street toward the next item on their list.

Two hours later they left the fourth and last restaurant on Hinata's list. Naruto sighed in releif. "I never knew how much goes into planning a wedding! And that was just the food! Man, your dad must be going all out," he said smiling over at Hinata. She blushed lightly in response.

"There will be several important foreign guests and the Hyuga's have a reputation to uphold. Sorry that took so long," she finished sheepishly.

"It's no problem! Its good experience for whenever I get married," Naruto said before thinking. Hinata blushed again and looked over at him just as he realized who he had just said that to. Hinata was startled to see him blushing, too. Maybe he was thinking about Sakura she concluded, but she had heard he was over his long time crush on his teammate. Was there some new rival she didn't know about. After a quick internal battle of wills she decided to go for it.

"And who would the lucky girl be?" she asked as teasingly as she could. Her heart was hammering as she waited for his response. He stumbled a little and when he righted himself his blush had deepened to a bright red.

Naruto quickly went over his options. He could just come out and confess, but that might scare her off and things were going so well. He could lie and say someone else, but quickly discarded that as just plain stupid. He finally decided to play coy and dance around the subject giving her a few clues, but nothing that would give it away. "Tell you what, I'll answer one question about her other than her name until the wedding and you can try to figure it out for yourself in a week."

That had not been what she was expecting. She thought about it for a moment confused as to why Naruto of all people was being coy. He would usually just run around yelling his feeling to anyone who would listen. Or at least the boy she had known would have done that. Maybe he had grown in more ways than just his height while he was off training with Jiriya-senin. Still it was worth the effort to figure out who her competition was. She smiled slyly at him and put out her hand. "Deal. But what if I can't figure it out by the end of the week?" she asked pulling her hand back as he reached up to shake it.

He grinned at her widely. "Then I'll tell you after the wedding. Just one question a day. And if you can't figure it out you have to do me a favor to be named at a later date." He kept his hand raised expectantly. She studied him then smiled and reached out her hand and took his formally sealing their deal.

"Deal," she said smiling shyly. Naruto's eyes sparkled at her. There was something there she couldn't read like she had just made his day. It made her smile even broader. "Well, then lets see. Can I ask my first question now?" she asked.

"Go for it!" Naruto yelled punching the air. She giggled at his exuberance.

"Hmmm, is she a Konaha konochi?" she needed to get the basics out of the way first she decided. For all she knew he had met someone on his three year training sabbatical.

Naruto grinned. "Yes, she most certainly is a Konaha konochi. And a damned good one I might add," he added with a wink. His eyes sparkled at her again before he cracked a grin and said, "Well, lets get over to Ino's family shop and pick out those flowers!"

"Yes, lets," she said following him down the street.

When they walked into the shop a bored looking Ino looked up from the counter and greeted them. "Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop. Oh, hey Hinata, Naturo. What brings you here today?" Ino looked from one to the other and a cheshire grin broke out on her face. Hinata knew Ino knew about her longtime crush on Naruto and could sense she was about to say 'So you two finally together' or something equally reveling and embarrassing. Before she could give anything away Hinata spoke up.

"I'm here to pick out the floral arrangements for Neji-niisan and Ten-Ten-san's upcoming wedding. Naruto has been kind enough to help out with the wedding arrangements." She hoped Ino could see in her eyes how much she wanted the other konochi to keep quiet about anything that wasn't directly related to the flowers she was selling. She seemed to get the message and shot Hinata a knowing smile.

"Of course! We have a number of flowers that are perfect for weddings. What is the color theme?" Ino asked getting right to business walking her over to a row of brightly colored flowers.

"The theme will be the traditional black and white, but I would like to add some soft pinks and possibly baby blue shades."

"Good taste, Hinata. So mainly whites with a few lighter accenting colors. Hmm. The stephanotis is a popular flower for weddings. It symbolizes happiness in marriage. The orange blossom is also a good one. It symbolizes eternal love, marriage, and fruitfulness." Both flowers she picked up to show Hinata were delicate little white flowers. "As for something with a little color roses are a favorite." Hinata shook her head.

"I specifically want to stay away from roses. They're a little overdone in my opinion." Naruto made a mental note of that while waiting in the background looking their selection of house ferns. He kept it to himself, but really liked keeping a small fern garden in his apartment.

Ino smiled at Hinata. "I have to agree. Then how about blue violets? They represent faithfulness." She picked up a vibrantly blue little flower. "It's a little brighter than what you mentioned, though." Hinata smiled while looking at it.

"It's perfect. I was also looking at the pink calla lilies. They symbolizes beauty, right?"

"Right you are. You would want them to be a centerpiece with some greenery to go with them. How about bells of Ireland? They would set each other off well and their meaning fits the wedding theme. They stand for good luck." Hinata's smile widened.

"Yes. They complement each other well. I think we'll do two separate arrangements then. One with the calla lilies and the bells of Ireland and another with the blue violets, orange blossoms, and stephanotis. We'll take 10 of each in the largest settings you do and 20 of each in smaller table settings. Also, I'd like to order about 50 feet of ivy to decorate with."

Ino put her hands on her hips looking impressed. "And ivy for wedded love, fidelity, and affection. You sure know you're stuff, Hinata. It would be our pleasure. When will you need the order filled?" she asked walking back up to the front of the shop. She slipped behind the counter and got out a ledger book.

"The wedding is this Saturday, so that gives us 6 days including today. I hope that's not too short notice. And if it's not too much trouble could you put together two sample arrangements and have them delivered to the Hyuga estate today?" Hinata asked.

"Of course. No problem at all. Shall I send the bill with that delivery?"

"That will be fine. Thank you very much, Ino-san." Hinata bowed slightly. Ino just laughed and waved it off.

"Hinata, how many times do I have to tell you, Ino is just fine. And you're welcome. Send my congratulations to the happy couple."

"Of course. Thank you, Ino," she said with a smile. She turned to Naruto who was leaning over a pot of pink and purple flowers. "Ready, Naruto-kun?" He looked up and smiled.

"Sure, in a minute. Hey Ino, what are these flowers called?" he asked.

She looked up surprised at his interest. "Those are spider flowers. If you give those to a girl you're asking her to elope with you." She cracked a grin at his reaction.

"You don't say. Thanks, Ino. See you 'round." He waved as they left the shop together. Ino's cheshire grin came back. She had expected him to look mortified at the suggestion of eloping with anyone, but he had only looked mildly surprised and possibly a little intrigued? She would have to pay close attention to those two in the coming weeks. Naruto was the most impatient person she'd ever met, yet here he was waiting for Hinata while she talked about flowers. And what was he doing helping with Neji's wedding preparations? It was all so un-Naruto like. But the way Hinata had looked at her when they walked in made her think they weren't an item yet. Was Naruto the one trying to put the moves on Hinata then?! Oh, this was just too good! She picked up the phone and dialed Sakura's number at lightning speed.

"Hello? Haruno residence."

"Hey, billboard brow, you will not believe what just happened. Are you free?"

"Oh, hey Ino-pig. Yeah, I'm not busy. What's up?"

"Stop by the shop. I have the juiciest piece of gossip."

"Oh really? Sure, sure. I'll be by in a few."

As she hung up the phone she leaned on her hand and wondered idly if there would be another Hyuga wedding before the end of the year.

As they left the flower shop Naruto's stomach growled noisily. He blushed and chuckled. Hinata smiled, too.

"Are you hungry, Naruto-kun? We could stop for an early lunch before heading to the training grounds."

"Yeah, that would be great. I kinda skipped breakfast. Where do you want to eat?"

"Wherever you would like is fine with me." She knew exactly where he would want to eat, but the Ichiraku ramen stand was on the other side of town.

"Hmmm. Well, Ichiraku's isn't really on the way. What about this place?" She followed his gaze and smiled. It was her favorite tea house. They severed light fare and some of the best imported and local teas in Konoha. He noticed her reaction. "Well, that settles it. Lets go eat!"

They went inside and were seated at a table close to the window. Naruto offered her the seat with a view of the window. She wondered when he had become such a gentleman. Once he was seated and they had ordered he just sat there looking at her from across the table with his chin resting on his palm. He had the same soft expression in his eyes she had seen in his apartment. It made her blush lightly this time.

"So, do you come here often? You seemed to know exactly what you wanted without looking at the menu," he asked.

"Yes. This is my favorite tea house in Konoha. They have the best Wu-Longs I've ever tasted. The Iron Goddess of Mercy blend is my favorite, but it might be a little pungent for this early in the day, so I got us a Sencha Green instead. That blend is much more delicate and relaxing. Perfect for the late morning."

Naruto's eyebrows went up. That was the most he had ever heard her say at once, outside putting together menus and floral arrangements. Kiba hadn't been lying. This girl certainly did have a thing for tea. "Well, I'm sure you know best. I don't know the first thing about tea. We'll have to come back so you can further my education."

"Of course, anytime you'd like," she said shyly, but Naruto could tell she was happy with the suggestion.

"It's a date then," he said with a wink. She blushed and her eyes went wide, but was saved from having to respond when the tea arrived a second later. She poured for them, then lifted her cup and inhaled the aroma deeply letting out the breath in a content sigh. She blew a little on the tea and took a small sip.

From across the table Naruto just stared. As she sipped her tea she looked so relaxed, so at peace. The worry lines that she usually wore when she was around him had smoothed out reveling an even more beautiful young woman. Her smile was light, wholesome, and content. It made him blush. He decided he would have to make it a habit of bringing her here. She looked up at him and tilted her head in question. He blushed even harder at being caught. He quickly picked up his tea and took a tentative sip.

"Hey, this is pretty good! You really know your tea." She smiled as he took another sip. Their food arrived several moments later. Naruto made small talk while they ate and started to get to know the real Hinata. He found out little things about her past and her likes and dislikes, such as her weakness for cinnamon buns and that she couldn't stand squid. She told him what she remembered about her mother and her early childhood. He took in every little detail. When the bill came he insisted on paying for their meal saying it was to pay her back for introducing him to the possibility of tea being good. That had gotten a giggle out of her. Her laughs made it feel like his heart was expanding. It was a wonderful feeling.

Naruto and Hinata trained for the rest of the day. As the sun started to sink toward the horizon they stopped. Naruto asked if he could walk her home and she accepted with a shy nod of her head.

"I'm so impressed, Hinata-chan! You've gotten so much stronger. Thanks for going easy on my with your Jyuuken, though. I remember how I felt after my fight with Neji in the chunin finals. You were dodging the really painful chakra centers, weren't you?" he asked as they walked down the street.

She looked up at him startled. "We were only sparring, Naruto-kun. I wouldn't do anything that could actually hurt you. The Jyuuken is a dangerous style. It can cause real damage if intended. Neji-niisan was in a real fight with you, but I still don't think he should have attacked any of your vital chakra points," she finished softly. "But he was a different person before that fight with you. I never thanked you for standing up to him and helping him change the way you did. Thank you for that Naruto-kun." She looked up at him and met his eye before she shyly looked down at the ground again.

It took a few moments for him to find his voice. When he did he said, "It was nothing. He just needed to see that he was the only one limiting the possibilities that were open to him in the future. I'm glad I could help him see that. He's too talented with those eyes of his to be so blind to something so obvious." Naruto stuck his hands in his pockets and looked off into the distance.

Hinata looked up at him as he looked into the past. When had he gotten so wise? When had that little prankster that she had fallen in love with turned into the man walking beside her? She longed to reach out and hold him. Her heart ached for it, but she clamped down on that feeling as she remembered the girl Naruto was planning to marry. Plus, she didn't want to ruin the friendship they were just starting to form. If she couldn't have him, she would treasure that friendship forever. While she was lost in her thoughts he looked down at her.

"We're here," he said softly. She blinked and looked up seeing her home in front of her.

"So we are. Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" she asked looking back at him.

"I would, but I don't want to impose. Thanks for training with me today, Hinata-chan. I learned a lot. See you tomorrow?" She smiled and nodded. "Great! I'll try to be ready this time." She giggled as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. He looked down at her in the twilight with that same soft look in his eyes. She wished he would lean down and kiss her at that moment. There was a moment of silence where, unbeknownst to her, he wanted to, too. Instead he smiled broadly and said, "Good night, Hinata-chan!" And took off down the street.

She watched his retreating figure in the growing darkness as she whispered to the night, "Good night, Naruto-kun." She sighed deeply and put her hand over her heart.

"And where have you been all day, Hinata-sama?" Hinata let out a little 'Eep!' and turned to find a very smug looking Neji leaning against the front gate watching her.

"Neji-niisan! You scared me." She blushed at being caught off guard.

"Was that Naruto?" he asked with the same smug expression. Her look hardened. He was teasing her.

"As a matter of fact it was. I told you he was interested in helping out with the wedding. He helped me run errands today, then we spent the rest of the day training together if you must know." She gave him a hard look daring him to laugh at her.

Instead he chuckled under his breath and walked over to her a warm expression replacing his smug look. "I'll have to thank him for helping out. You're just in time for dinner. If you hurry you should be able to catch a quick bath. I'll let Hiashi-sama know you've returned and will be ready in say 20 minutes?"

She gave him a quizzical look at his sudden change in demeanor. "Thank you. A bath would be wonderful. See you at dinner, then." She hurried into the house.

Neji watched her go with his arms crossed and an amused smile on his face. "You certainly move fast, Naruto. And there are already noticeable improvements. Well done, my friend." He chuckled softly to himself and followed his cousin into the house.


	5. Little by Little

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 5: Little by Little

The next day Hinata and Naruto secured a large shipment of sake for the reception and got it back to the Hyuga estate without incident. On the way Hinata found out Naruto's mystery girl was very pretty. Or as Naruto put it "She's beautiful, but I don't think she knows just how much." That had thrown her for a loop, but it also helped her rule out Ino and Sakura. They were both very aware of how pretty they were.

The day after that they were tasked with picking up Neji's kimono from the tailors. Naruto was flabbergasted by how many different pieces it had proclaiming jokingly he might just wear his usually black and orange jump suit to his wedding. Hinata couldn't help but laugh out loud at that. That day after training she asked her third question. "What rank is she?" she asked while they were heading back to the Hyuuga estate.

"She's a Chunin, but I'm sure she won't be for long. She's definitely strong enough to be a Jonin in my opinion. She just needs to have a little more confidence in herself and learn to see what everyone else does." Hinata blushed furiously. It almost sounded like he was talking about her for a minute. She shook it off and walked the rest of the way in silence.

The fourth day of preparations they were scheduled to set up for the ceremony and reception at the Hyuga estate. The entire garden was to be transformed. Naruto took a deep breath as he neared the gate. He hadn't been looking forward to what was going to come next. He would have to come face to face with Hiashi. He had decided the honorable thing to do was come out and make his intentions toward the man's daughter clear. He thought about what Neji had said about having to impress the head of the Hyuga house, but his gut told him this was the right thing to do. With a sigh he rang the bell. A few minutes later Hinata came running down the path, her arms overflowing of long vines of ivy.

"Sorry, for the wait, Naruto-kun! Everyone is busy helping set up the compound and the guard is on rotation at the moment. Please, come in. Welcome to the Hyuga estate, officially." She smiled at him and gestured for him to follow as well as she could with her arms full of foliage. He had noticed such a change in her demeanor around him over the last couple of days. Spending so much time with him seemed to have loosened her up a little, just as he had hoped it would. She didn't look at the ground when talking to him anymore and she laughed out loud with him. She still blushed a lot around him, but that was actually really cute. He loved this new louder Hinata even more. He couldn't wait to tell her and hoped she would feel the same way. He shook himself out of his pondering and moved to follow her.

"Here let me help you with those," he offered reaching for the bundle in her arms.

"There's more up at the house you can grab," she said over her shoulder. "Besides, my father has asked to greet you personally first. I'll ask one of the guards to take you to his study as soon as we find one. Ah! Saka-san! Could you please escort Naruto-san to my father's study. He is expecting him."

A tall man with dark hair and pearly white eyes walked over to them. "Of course, Hinata-sama." He turned and bowed to Naruto. "This way, please, Naruto-san," he said leading the way. Naruto looked back at Hinata with a pleading look as if to say, 'You're not coming?' She mouthed 'Sorry' and 'Good luck' before he turned to follow the guard.

She really had wanted to go with him. She knew how intimidating her father could be, but Hiashi had specifically asked him to be sent with a guard. She wondered if she should be concerned about that, but was trying very hard to keep calm about it. She decided the best thing to do was keep her mind focused on the task at hand and hurried away with her load of ivy.

Naruto had never been in a house so big before. It took a full 10 minutes to get to Hiashi's study. When they finally did get there the guard knocked politely and Hiashi answered "Enter."

"I'll wait at the end of the hall for you to show you to the gardens when you are finished, Naruto-san," Saka said then slid the door open. "Uzumaki Naruto to see you, Hiashi-sama."

"Thank you, Saka. Please come in Uzumaki-san. Sit down," Hiashi said as Naruto stepped in and Saka closed the door after him. "Thank you for coming to see me. I wanted to welcome you personally to our home and to thank you for all of your help with the wedding. It is quite generous of you."

Naruto was completely at a loss. He had heard horror stories from Oba-chan about dealing with the high and mighty Hyuga Hiashi, but he wasn't picking up on any hidden meanings or threats. He seemed to mean everything he was saying genuinely. "Its really my pleasure, Hyuga-san. Its been a lot of fun spending more time with Hinata-ch—er, I mean Hinata-san." He would have smacked himself if he weren't in present company. He was really bad at all this etiquette stuff. Hiashi just laughed.

"I don't mind if you call my daughter chan, Uzumaki-san. And please call me Hiashi-san. With all the Hyugas around here it would get very confusing to call us all Hyuga-san." Hiashi said settling into his seat a little.

Naruto relaxed noticeably. This guys was nothing like he expected, but he might change his disposition when Naruto told him what he had to, so he decided not to get too informal. "Thank you, Hiashi-san. And please call me Naruto." He collected himself with a deep breath. It was now or never. "To tell you the truth, I'm glad you requested to see me privately. There's something I need to speak with you about, or well, I just feel like I should tell you." Hiashi straitened a little at that.

"That sounds rather serious, Naruto-san." Hiashi said lacing his fingers together leaning them on his desk. "Please, go on."

Naruto was more the tone he had expected from the Hyuga head. Too late to back out now. "The thing is, sir, I've come to really like your daughter. I haven't shared my feelings with her and don't know how she feels about me yet, but I just felt it was the right thing to come to you first."

Hiashi was quite for a long time after that. Or at least it seemed that way to Naruto. It was probably only 30 seconds or so. "What exactly are you saying to me, Naruto-san. Are you asking for my blessing to ask for her hand?"

Naruto blushed. "No! I mean, nothing that serious yet. I guess I'd like your blessing to ask her out on a date or something. That is assuming she'll have me," he finished quietly.

Hiashi was silent for a period again. This was really killing Naruto's nerves. "What would you do if I say no?" he finally asked.

Naruto thought for a moment and decided on the truth. "I'd probably still tell her how feel. Then ask her out anyways, but I would let her know you don't approve. And assuming she's even interested we would have to come up with a way to win you over. I love her, Hiashi-san, and I'll fight for her if I have to."

Hiashi smiled. "Good. Hinata has always spoken highly of you and your...unorthodox way of doing things. You have my blessing, Naruto-san, however understand that doesn't give you a clear path. This household is more than just a head telling everyone what to do. There is a council of elders who have a strong influence in house matters, including making Hinata's match. Traditionally the heir's match is selected for them. They will not accept you as a possible match for Hinata purely based on your low status in village politics I'm afraid." Hiashi finished expecting to see an unhappy, possibly even angry young man sitting across from him. He was surprised to see a smiling and very excited Naruto sitting there on the other side of the desk.

"Well, that's no problem at all! I'm gonna be the next Hokage, after all!" Naruto proclaimed triumphantly. Hiashi sat stunned for a moment, then broke into a rare smile.

"Yes, I think that might just win them over, Naruto-san. It was very nice to finally make your acquaintance. Now I believe Hinata is waiting for you in the garden." Hiashi decline his head in a slight bow to Naruto as he stood. Naruto bowed back and flashed one of his signature smiles before exiting the room. "You chose an interesting man, Hinata. So different from yourself, but maybe that's exactly what you need. Good luck to the both of you."

The rest of the day passed quickly. With the help of some of Naruto's clones they got everything set up and ready ahead of schedule. On the way to the training grounds Hinata asked her fourth question.

"What's your favorite thing about her?" she asked.

"Wow, thats a hard one," Naruto crossed his arms actually thinking hard about it. "Hmmm, even though its a cop out I'd have to say I love everything about her." Hinata glowered at him. He laughed and held up his hands in front of him. "Ok, ok. Lets see. I guess I love how caring she is. She's the nicest person I've ever met. Though her laugh comes in close second. I haven't gotten to hear it much, but when I do it just makes my heart melt."

Hinata looked over at him surprised. More and more it sounded like he really was talking about her. Should she guess herself and risk getting let down? Did she have the courage to do that? Before she could decide they had arrived at the training grounds and Naruto was already beginning his warm ups. She sighed. She still had two more questions. She would have to be sure she decided as they got to work.


	6. The Bachelor Party

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 6: The Bachelor Party

They had the next day off since Naruto's clones had finish setting up the garden so quickly the day before. Naruto decided to take Hinata back to her favorite tea shop for lunch and train for the rest of the day before he had to go get ready for Neji's bachelor party.

While at the training grounds they were unexpectedly joined by Ino and Sakura who said they were just passing by. Hinata thought she could see an evil glint in Ino's eye so decided to direct the conversation toward them rather than herself and Naruto.

"Are you all ready for the wedding tomorrow, Ino?" Hinata asked rather suddenly after they made their usual greetings.

Ino just smiled knowing exactly what was going through the dark haired girl's head. "Yes, thanks. I finally found the perfect yukata. It even matches you color scheme. Thanks for the inside info," she said with a wink.

Hinata just smiled. "And you Sakura? What colors are your yukata?"

"Its a surprise," she said with a smile directed at Ino. Hinata just raised an eyebrow in response.

"She won't show me her outfit," Ino said impatiently. "Even though I let her help pick mine out. You need outside opinions on such important decision, billboard brow," she said planting her hands on her hips.

"Why? Its not your wedding," Naruto said rather confused.

Both girls rounded on him and he knew he had made a mistake. Ino responded first. "NO, but a lot of REALLY important people are going to be there. This is a Hyuga wedding we're talking about after all! You never know who you're going to see there. Always dress to impress in society, Naruto."

"She's right, Naruto," Sakura said knowingly. "There will be tons of emissaries from other countries there. As personal guests of the bride and groom we have to show the best side of the Leaf. Wait, you do have something nice to wear, right Naruto?" she asked getting that scary Sakura you-better-not-mess-this-up tone in her voice.

Naruto was flabbergasted, but decided to play it off. "Of course I have something nice to wear to the wedding. Geez, I'm not completely inept at this sort of thing, you know," he said crossing his arms defensively.

Sakura scoffed a little. "I'll believe it when I see it," she said haughtily.

Hinata didn't know what happened next, but she was speaking before she even realized it and couldn't stop herself. "Actually, Sakura-san, Naruto has been very good at this sort of thing all week. He's been helping with the wedding preparations you see. I don't think we would have managed to get it all done without his help to be honest. My father set a very ambitious deadline after all. And I have personally seen his ensemble for tomorrow. I assure you it is up to Hyuga standards." She paused for a moment before finishing with, "So you should let your concerns about your teammate embarrassing the Leaf tomorrow lay to rest."

Naruto couldn't believe his ears. Hinata had just told off Sakura. In _his_ defense! He knew better than to rub it in Sakura's face, so just remained quiet, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he looked at Hinata out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, your endorsement certainly does put my mind at rest, Hinata," was all Sakura could think to say. Ino was just standing there with her mouth hanging open. Sakura scowled at her and said without looking away from Ino, "I guess we'll let you get back to your training. See you guys later." With that she turned and walked off with a still stunned Ino in tow. Once the two girls were out of ear shot they let the act fall.

"I told you!" Ino squealed. "They are totally an item! Who knew Naruto would finally figure it out and ask her out? Oh this is just too good!"

"I don't know, Ino," Sakura said through a giggle. "Its obvious they're both into each other now. But their body language was still cautious around each other. I don't think he's told her yet. And did you see the way he looked at her when she came to his rescue? The Naruto I know would have scooped her up in a bear hug if they were officially an "item" as you put it."

"Well, then they will be soon. I still told you!" Ino said throwing her hands up in the air in victory.

Sakura chuckled at her reaction. "I'll give you that, Ino. Naruto has definitely fallen for our little Hyuga princess. Who knew?" she smiled walking calmly down the street next to her celebrating comrade.

Back on the training field Hinata was trying to figure out what had just happened. She had never done anything like that in her life. She was just incredibly rude to Sakura. She had deserved it, but that was besides the point. She looked up at Naruto hesitantly and saw glowing admiration in his eyes. She blushed and looked away immediately.

"Thanks for that, Hinata-chan. No ones ever come to my rescue before, especially against Sakura. I owe you one," he smiled widely at her. "Sorry, but I think I better get going if I'm gonna get cleaned up in time to see the guys. I'll see you tomorrow at the wedding!" He turned to go, but she caught his arm.

"I haven't asked my question for the day yet," she said quickly.

"You're right. So, what'll it be?" he asked smiling softly at her.

"What's the first thing you remember about her?" she asked quietly.

His expression softened even more and his eyes turned a little sad. "She always had sad eyes when I first met her, like she had just been crying. But she doesn't cry anymore. She's become much stronger than anyone thought she ever would be. She's even saved my ass a couple of times. In more ways than one." He held her gaze for a moment then cracked a huge Naruto smile and said "See ya!" before running off toward his place.

The guys were all gathered at their favorite bar in honor of Neji's last night as "a free man" as Kiba put it. Shino, and Choji were in a heated debate over the possible health affects of eating nothing but BBQ for the rest of ones life while Shikamaru just looked on in drunken amusement. Lee was reminiscing over past missions with Neji and Guy while Kakashi sat in the corner reading his copy of _Make-Out Paradise_. Kiba had just come back from ordering another round and sat next to Naruto who looked like he was sitting on cloud nine.

"Dude, what has you in such a good mood?" Kiba asked with a slightly tipsy smirk.

"Nothing, man. Just thinking about Hinata-chan." He poured another shot of sake for the two of them while Kiba laughed at him.

"Wow, the boy's already whipped and he hasn't even asked her out yet." He chuckled to himself as he took the shot. Shikamaru looked over and chuckled with Kiba while Shino gave up on talking sense into his comrade and turned his attention to the other side of the table. Catching the last part of what Kiba said he just shook his head. Naruto scowled at him lightly, but couldn't really think of anything to say. He huffed and took his shot of sake.

"It could be worse, Kiba. At least he has a girl. The rest of us don't even have dates to take to the wedding," Choji said with a smile. Kiba's laughter was cut short by that. It was his turn to scowl across the table.

"Don't jinx me guys! I haven't even asked her yet. I was planning on doing that after the wedding tomorrow," Naruto laughed nervously. Choji smiled at him and raised his cup to him. Shino remained quiet, but intent upon the conversation.

"I'm sure you'll do fine Naruto. Best of luck to you," Choji said taking a drink. Naruto smiled his thanks.

"Good planning, Naruto. Women have strange reactions to weddings. It's like they all want to settle down after seeing one of their friends tie the knot. Good strategy," Shikamaru said with a lazy grin.

Naruto looked shocked for a second. "Really? I never thought of that." He put his chin in his hand in thought. Shikamaru just shook his head and sighed. Naruto looked up from his thought and noticed just about every pair of eyes at the table was on him. It made him feel rather uncomfortable. "Enough about me though. Any last thoughts as a single man, Neji?" he said trying to divert everyone's attention.

A slightly drunk Neji looked up from his cup with a rare smile. "I'm afraid I don't have any words of wisdom to impart. Only that I can't wait till tomorrow."

Kiba's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Wow, I'm loving the confidence, man! Bet you're looking forward to tomorrow night, too, right?" The table laughed heartily at the blush that tinted the proud Hyuga's face at that, even Kakashi looked up from his book. Everyone was laughing except the completely sober Lee that is.

"Come now friends. Do not mock Neji's happiness. Would that we could all find the happiness he and Ten-Ten have found together. We would all be just as eager as he if that were the case I think."

Guy smacked him hard on the back. "Well said my youthful student!" he said passionately.

"We're not mocking, Lee. We're just jealous of how eager he is to be alone with his soon-to-be bride," Shikamaru said trying unsuccessfully to keep a strait face. More laughter broke out at the table at that. Even Neji was cracking a grin now. Lee looked like he didn't know how to react to the entire situation, so decided to join in with the laughter. After the laughter died down a little Shikamaru looked at Neji with a genuine smile. "But seriously, dude, congratulations. I think I speak for everyone here when I say we couldn't be happier for you and Ten-Ten." He raised his cup. "To your future happiness." Everyone at the table followed suite lifting their glasses. Together they repeated Shikamaru's toast and drained their glasses in unison.

Neji smiled at them all. "I suppose this is when I'm supposed to give a speech. I only want to say it has been my greatest honor to stand beside all of you as fellow shinobi of the Leaf and as friends. I thank you all for always having my back, even if the Byakugan allows me to see it at the same time," that got a few chuckles from the table, "and I can't think of any others I would rather spend my last night as a single man with. Thank you, my friends." Everyone let out cheerful calls of agreement. "And thank you Kiba for setting up the party. It wasn't nearly as painful as I expected." That got an indignant 'Hey!' from Kiba and laughter from everyone else.

"Well, well. Fancy meeting you lot here," said a familiar female voice behind them. The table turned in unison. Sakura stood with her hands on her hips and a very wide smile on her face. Behind her stood Ten-Ten, Ino, and Hinata. All four konochi were dressed to kill. Sakura had an elegant strapless, pink dress on with a long slit up one side showing a good amount of leg. Ino was sporting a short red dress with a halter top that hugged her body tightly and a low neckline that showed off quite a bit of cleavage. Ten-Ten's dress was made of deep blue silk and cut in the chinese style with slits up both sides. Hinata wore a black dress with long sleeves that hung off her shoulders and a short tight fitting skirt. Everyone at the table sat staring, some with their mouths hanging open a little. Neji was the first to recover. He stood up and strode over to Ten-Ten, his eyes never leaving her for a moment.

"Ten-Ten, you look absolutely stunning. What are you ladies doing here?" When he reached her he took her in his arms and kissed her. She blushed at his forwardness, but didn't look displeased. Ino responded for her since she was a little preoccupied cuddling with her soon-to-be husband.

"We decided to follow your lead and throw her a bachelorette party. Hinata mentioned something about Naruto leaving training early to head to Neji's Bachelor party at dinner and Ten-Ten called us on the spot telling us to throw on our best dresses because we were going out tonight. We didn't know you'd be here to be honest. But don't let us break up your party. I'm sure there's an empty table around here somewhere." She started to look around the crowded bar not seeing anything open immediately. It was a Friday night after all.

"Don't be silly. The more the merrier," Kiba said with a warm smile, much to the surprise, but not displeasure, of the other men at the table. "Let me go get some more chairs and drinks. What are you ladies drinking tonight?"

"Well, if you're buying I'll take a Manhattan dry," Ino said with a smile walking over to sit in the empty chair beside Kiba. He looked very happy about that. After helping her into her seat he hurried away to get her drink.

"Well, isn't he a sweetie," Ino said looking after him with a sparkle in her eye. Choji and Shikamaru exchanged a look and just smiled into their cups. Lee jumped up offering Sakura his seat and a drink. She accepted with a smile. Neji made sure Ten-Ten was settled and went off to get her the gin and tonic he knew she favored. Meanwhile, Naruto was still just staring at Hinata with a slightly dazed look on his face. Under the table Shino gave him a well placed kick which seemed to snap him out of it. He jumped up and walked over to Hinata.

"Wow, you look amazing, Hinata-chan!" he said scratching the back of his head. She blushed lightly and smiled at him meeting his eyes.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. I'm sorry we crashed your party. I didn't think my mentioning it would spur such a- uh, _immediate_ reaction in Ten-Ten-san."

"Are you kidding? You guys just got the party started as far as we're concerned! Speaking of which, can I get you a drink?"

"Oh, no thank you. I don't drink very much, it would go right to my head."

"Oh come on! How many bachelor/bachelorette parties are your cousin and future cousin-in-law ever gonna have? You should celebrate just a little with us. And I promise I'll make sure you get home safe." She giggled at his pleading expression.

"Ok, but I really don't want to drink too much. I wouldn't want to sleep in tomorrow. That would be hard to explain to Oto-sama. I'll have a few cups of hot sake." He chuckled with her and offered her his seat before walking over to the bar. He met up with Neji and Lee who were still waiting to order Ten-Ten and Saruka's drinks.

"Well, that was a pleasant surprise, huh?" Naruto said to Neji as he reached the bar where Lee was ordering. He looked back at the table where Hinata and Shino were chatting.

"Indeed," Neji said with a sly smile. "By the way, Naruto, I never thanked you for helping out so much with the wedding. I think even Hiashi-sama was impressed when you set up the entire reception area by yourself."

"It was short work with all the clone's help," Naruto said with a shrug. Neji just chuckled.

"I haven't thanked you for how you've helped Hinata, either," he said looking at him out of the corner of his eye with a knowing smile on his lips. "She's a completely new person."

"Yeah, I've noticed it, too. I like her even more for it. She's an incredible girl. Do you know she told off Sakura this afternoon? I think she was standing up for me. Can you believe it? She's come a long way from our academy days, huh?" He looked back over his shoulder again. Then back at Neji with a slightly worried expression. "I'm gonna ask her to marry me, you know." When Neji didn't respond immediately he quickly continued. "I mean, I'll ask her out first and all and I know there's a lot I'll need to prove to the elders, but I know she's the only one for me. I'll do what ever it takes. It's like my heart's not mine anymore. It belongs to her, whether she knows it or not." He looked over his shoulder again. Neji smiled at him and clapped him on the back.

"I know exactly what you mean, Naruto. Know that I'm behind you 100%. If there's anything I can do to help the two of you, you need only ask." Naruto smiled at him and gripped his forearm in a friendly embrace.

"Thanks, man. You don't know how much I appreciate that." After they got the ladies' drinks they made their way back to the table where everyone was chatting in groups of two or three. Kiba was chatting animatedly with Ino, Ten-Ten, Lee, and Sakura were laughing about something, while Guy was trying to engage Kakashi in a battle of Ro-Sham-Bo. Shikamaru, Choji, and Shino were discussing Shoji tactics while Hinata listened to with a content smile on her face. Neji pulled up a chair next to Ten-Ten and joined in their conversation. Naruto pulled up a chair next to Hinata and poured her a cup of sake. She smiled her thanks and took a sip.

"Mmmm. That is good stuff. I haven't had sake in a while. Thank you for talking me into it." He grinned widely at her.

"My pleasure. So is everything ready for the big day? You've been working so hard this last week, you'll deserve some major R&R after this thing is done." She smiled.

"Yes, everything is ready, but it's mostly thanks to you. You did all the heavy lifting. I can't believe you actually got us the day off by finishing the garden preparations yesterday. I think even Oto-sama was impressed with that."

"Aww, it was nothing. I'm good at that kind of stuff," he said with a shrug, though he looked very pleased with himself. "So what are you're plans after everything settles down?"

"Oh, well I'll be going back on active duty. The Hokage was kind enough to grant me leave to help the family prepare everything. And if you're still interested I'd love to keep sparring with you. I've really learned a lot training with you."

"You've learned a lot?! You're the one who's been schooling me! Hey, hey! You have to check out my new Rasen-Shuriken! I applied my wind element to the Rasengan like you suggested. It's awesome, Hinata-chan! I can't wait to show you!" She laughed.

"I can't wait either. I look forward to it." She took another sip of her sake and let out a content sigh. Naruto just grinned.

"I would also be interested in seeing the result of your training with Hinata, Naruto," Shino interjected making them both turn his way. "I have been missing my teammates' more level headed approach to training. You do realize you left me to train solely with Kiba these past week, Hinata," he said lightly, the hint of a smile in his tone. She and Naruto laughed at that.

"I'm sorry, Shino-kun. We wouldn't mind if you stopped by, right Naruto?" She looked over at Naruto questioningly.

"Course not! We usually train over at field 7."

"I know the place. Sunday then?"

"You got it," Naruto said enthusiastically.

The rest of the night passed with many laughs and many drinks. A few hours later Hinata was looking a little tipsy, so Naruto suggested he walk her home before it got too late. She smiled at him and just nodded.

"Sorry, folks, but we're gonna head out. I'm gonna walk Hinata home. See everyone tomorrow. Night y'all!" Naruto said helping Hinata up.

"Yep! Night everybody!" Hinata said with a drunken giggle. Everyone either waved or said their good byes as they made their way to the door.

Ino leaned close to Kiba whispering to him, "So are they an item now or what?"

He chuckled. "Not yet. The dumbass hasn't made his move yet, but I'm thinking it won't take him too much longer before he pops the question." That got a cute giggle out of the blond.

"I knew it! Took him long enough to see she was interested in him," she said sounding delighted at the new piece of gossip.

"Oh, he hasn't figured that part out yet," Kiba said with a laugh. Ino stared at him in disbelief.

"No way! Seriously? Wow, no wonder he hasn't asked her out yet. Still, how can you be so blind?" she asked dumbfounded.

"No clue. Apparently he's gonna make his move after the wedding tomorrow, so we'll see how it all turns out soon," he said with a sly grin. She laughed.

"Indeed," she said. She eyed him for a second. "Speaking of the wedding, Kiba, you know I don't have a escort yet. I mean, who wants to go to these big social functions alone. So, would you be interested in picking me up around 11?"

"Are you asking me out on a date Ms. Yamanaka?" he asked with a crooked grin. She flashed a beautiful smile.

"What if I am?" she asked coyly.

"Then I would say only if you let me take you out to dinner on Tuesday." She smiled widely at him.

"You have yourself a deal, mister," she replied softly.

It was a little chilly out so Naruto offered his jacket to Hinata as they walked toward the Hyuga estate. She snuggled into it enjoying the light smell of grass and ramen that clung to it. They walked most of the way in a comfortable silence. When they were a block away Hinata swayed a little bit bumping into him. He caught her easily making sure she didn't loose her balance.

"Careful there," he said with a chuckle. He put his arm around her shoulder and fell in step beside her. She blushed and looked up at him. "Just in case," he said with a huge toothy grin. It could have been her imagination, but she could have sworn he was blushing a little, too. Though that could have been the sake she reasoned. She leaned her head against him as they walked. This was without a doubt the absolute best moment of her entire life. She thought about all the questions he had answered that week and hoped beyond hope that her guess was right.

Naruto's heart was beating like he had just run 10 miles by the time they reached her front gate. She stepped away from him and handed him his jacket back. She looked up at him with a look in her eyes that gave him goosebumps. "Thank you, Naruto-kun. I had a wonderful time tonight. Thanks for the sake and the walk home...and everything else," she finished in a hushed tone. She looked like she was on the verge of saying something else, but looked down at her hands instead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Naruto swallowed hard. "Yeah, see ya tomorrow," he said in a hushed, shaky tone. He hoped it was dark enough to hide the blush he felt on his face. Hinata looked up at him. She wanted so much to reach out and hug him. To touch the whiskers on his face and tell him she loved him, but she resisted. 'One more day,' she thought to herself. With that she took a step back and turned to hurry up the path to the house.

Naruto watched her retreating figure with longing. He had wanted so much to reach out and kiss her good night. She had looked so amazing in that outfit. She just continued to surprise him. 'Tomorrow's the day,' he thought to himself. He smiled to himself and took off down the street toward his home.


	7. The Wedding

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 7: The Wedding

The second Naruto's eyes opened the next morning he had a huge grin plastered to his face. He was simultaneously excited and nervous beyond reason. You'd think it was his wedding day by all the butterflies in his stomach. He shook himself from his mental reverie and began the motions of getting ready for the big day. He dressed in his yukata, a dark blue robe with a sandy brown sash, ate a rushed breakfast, and headed out the door.

He had a few errands to run before he headed over to the Hyuga estate and decided to take his time since the wedding didn't start for another couple hours. As he strolled down the street a familiar spiky ponytail caught his attention through the small early morning crowd of Konoha citizens.

"Oi! Shikamaru!" Naruto called out making his way toward the lazy chunin. Shikamaru turned with his usual calm expression and lifted a hand in greeting. As Naruto neared him he noticed his friend wasn't alone.

"Good morning, Naruto. You remember Temari of the Sand," he said motioning to the pretty blond at his right. She smiled at Naruto upon the reintroduction and nodded her head slightly. She wore a very nice black kimono with a red sash and a huge fan secured on her back. Naruto grinned back at her warmly.

"Of course. How have you been, Temari? How's Gaara and the rest of the family been?" he asked.

"Oh, I've been very well, thank you. The Kazekage is keeping busy, as you might imagine. He asked me to say hello to you in particular, actually, if I happened to see you while I was here for the wedding," she said with a crooked grin.

"You're here for Neji's wedding?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Oh yes. The Kazukage was the one invited, but he's much too busy to leave the village at the moment, so asked me to come as Sunagakura's representative."

"Well, it's a pleasure to have you here," Naruto said with a little bow. "It would have been nice to see Gaara, but I must say you improve the scenery a lot more than he does, eh, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked elbowing Shikamaru in the ribs. Shikamaru looked incredulously at him for a moment and looked away deciding not to respond. Temari on the other hand blushed a little then burst out laughing.

"And here I'd thought you'd matured a little in the last 3 years for a second," she said still chuckling a little. She slapped him hard on the shoulder and gave him a toothy grin to match his own.

He laughed along with her and caught Shikamaru grinning at Temari for a second, before he cleared his throat. "Well, we'd better get going if you don't want to be late." She looked back at him and nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. It would look pretty bad for the Suna representative to try and sneak in while the couple is exchanging their vows. I'll see you there, Naruto." As she turned to go Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged a look that spoke volumes in the span of a few seconds. From Shikamaru's end the look said something along the lines of 'You're not the only one with plans tonight.'

He had a little over an hour and didn't want to cramp Shikamaru's style, so decided to make a detour to the Yamanaka flower shop. He was a little relieved not to see Ino behind the counter, but who must have been her mother. He bought a lovely prearranged bouquet for the couple and and small white lily corsage for Hinata. After making his purchases he headed back toward the Hyuga estate and joined the throng of other guests being welcomed for the festivities. He didn't spot Hinata at the gate, but offered the flowers to Saka-san who he recognized from the other day saying it was for the happy couple. He smiled his thanks and took them to a large table laden with other gifts and parcels. He followed the path up to the now familiar garden looking for any familiar faces. He finally spotted Ino and Kiba sitting together next to Lee and Sakura. Ino's yukata was just as nice as she had boasted the day before. It was crisp white with light pink petals and vibrant bluebells all over it. Sakura's was just as pretty. It was a deep red with pink cherry blossoms all over it that matched her hair. As he walked closer Sakura looked up noticing him.

"Well, well. Looks like Hinata wasn't just covering for you yesterday. You look very nice, Naruto. You could have combed your hair though," she teased with a grin. Ino giggled next to her.

"Yeah, right. Tried that once. Never again. But never mind me, you guys look great in those yukatas," he said earning smiles from both ladies. "Hey you guys haven't seen Hinata have you?" he asked looking around.

"No, sorry, Naruto. I think she's probably going to be sitting in the family section. She might even be part of the precession. I can't wait to see Ten-Ten walk out in her gown! I wonder if they made her go traditional or if she picked a Chinese style gown. She wouldn't show us last night," Ino said in a rush.

"I can't wait to see Neji in all those robes," Kiba snickered.

"I know, right!" Naruto said taking a seat next to Lee. " When Hinata and I picked them up the other day I couldn't believe he was supposed to wear them all at once. But Hyugas always look good in traditional dress. I'm sure he'll be able to rock it."

"I agree, Naruto," Lee said smiling. "Speaking of, Hinata-san. You look lovely! It is rare we get to see you in the traditional Hyuga dress," Lee said standing up and bowing slightly. Naruto turned to see Hinata standing in the aisle smiling at them all. He stood up and snapped his mouth shut, which had been hanging open. If he had thought she looked beautiful in her outfit last night, that was nothing to cap what he thought of her now. She was wearing a light lavender yukata with purple japanese maple leaves all over it and a matching purple sash. Her hair pinned up elaborately and a set of fresh water pearls hanging delicately around her neck.

"Hello and welcome everyone. I'm so glad you could make it," she said sweetly. Then shifting her gaze to Naruto she blushed slightly and said, "I forgot to thank you for walking me home last night, Naruto-kun. Thank you."

"No problem at all. Wow, you look beautiful, Hinata-chan. I love your hair like that." She blushed even deeper at his praise. "Oh yeah, I got this for you." He took out the corsage and put it around he wrist. She smiled warmly at him.

"Thank you, Naruto. Lilies are my favorite," she said softly looking at the small white flower.

"I love your yukata, Hinata," Sakura said filling the silence. Hinata looked up startled and smiled.

"Thank you, Sakura. It is fun to dress up like this every once in a while isn't it?" she said.

"You got that right, Hinata-_chan,_" Ino said teasingly making the girl blush even more.

"Well, I have to go. The ceremony will be starting momentarily. Please say hello to everyone else for me if you see them," she said turning to go. Naruto watched her retreating form until she was out of sight.

"You can sit down now, Naruto," Sakura said while Ino giggle along with her. Naruto blushed slightly, but sat without a word. Shino and Choji arrived several minutes later filling their row. Shortly after the ceremony started.

First Tsunade walked out in her usual Hokage cloak and hat followed by Neji, Hiashi, and Hinata. Tsunade walked up to the raised platform and turned to the crowd. Neji followed her and stood off to her right. Hiashi and Hinata took their seats in the front row. Next came a young Hyuuga girl with a basket of white rose petals. She scattered them all over the aisle before taking her seat next to Hinata. Then the bride entered the garden to the gasp of many in the crowd.

"I guess she got her Chinese dress after all," Ino whispered under her breath to Sakura.

Ten-Ten was wearing a bright red fitted dress elaborately embroidered with gold thread. Her usual bun hairstyle was replaced with an elaborate style wrapped around a golden head piece that looked like it was raining gold all around her. Her father walked her down the aisle bowing to Hiashi when he came to him then to Neji before taking his seat. Neji's gaze was so captivated by his bride he almost forgot to bow back to him. After the father took his seat Tsunade addressed the assembly.

"Friends, family, esteemed guests welcome to the joining of these two shinobi. As Hokage it is not only my responsibility, but my upmost pleasure to preside over jubilant occasions such as this. Too often in our line of work we are taken before we can find our someone to share our lives with. It is a truly joyful moment we share with Hyuuga Neji and Hisagia Ten-Ten today." She looked at the couple for a moment and continued. "Love each other as if there is no tomorrow and treasure each other every day you are given. If there is any one here who can give adequate cause these two should not be joined speak now or forever hold your piece." There was silence in the garden. When the Hokage began taking again Naruto saw the relief in Neji's face and wondered if he had suspected the Hyuga elders of speaking out against them. "Then join hands," Neji took Ten-Ten's hands in his and looked her in the eyes, "And repeat after me. I do take you as my eternal partner. To protect as I have my village, to hold to as have my ideals, and to love as I have like nothing else before." In a strong clear voice Neji and Ten-Ten repeated the Hokage's words together. When they were done Tsunade smiled put her hands on her hips and proclaimed, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Neji, you may now kiss your bride." Without wasting a second Neji scooped her up and kissed her while the whole assembly cheered.

From there everyone adjourned to the reception area in an adjacent garden. Kiba found a table for everyone while Choji went off to find drinks and food for everybody. Naruto leaned back and just took in the scene. Ino and Sakura teasing Lee about crying at the ceremony, Shikamaru and Temari talking at a table nearby, Neji and Ten-Ten surrounded by well wishers at the raised table at the head of the garden. He noticed Hinata sitting at that table talking and smiling with other guests. He sighed. He'd have to wait a while before setting his plan into motion. He looked around for Tsunade, but didn't see her anywhere. He had wanted to commend her on her speech. It had hit home with him and he was sure every other shinobi in the crowd could relate to what she had said. He looked back up at the head table, but Hinata was missing.

"I believe I just saw Hinata go in that direction, if that's who you were looking for," Shino said calmly from his right. Naruto looked over at him surprised. "That way I believe," Shino reiterated pointing.

Naruto grinned. "Thanks man," he said before standing and heading in the indicated direction. He found her not far from the party in a secluded nook sitting next to a coy pond. "There you are," he said quietly. She squeaked and stood up suddenly. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said walking over to the pond. "Nice spot you've got here."

"Yeah, all the people were getting to me. You'd think it was my wedding by how many people were congratulating me on the wonderful match." She smiled at him and looked back at the fish swimming around in the water. "This was my mother's favorite place in the garden. She used to bring me here and tell me wonderful stories about the founding of the village and the great heroes of our clan." She smiled sweetly again. "I come here to reset."

"I know what you mean," Naruto said. He perked up with a great idea. "Hey, you wanna see my reset spot?" he asked excitedly.

Hinata looked at him a moment stunned then laughed. "I don't know, Naruto-kun. I should probably get back."

"Come on they won't miss us for another half hour or so. It won't even take that long. It's pretty close to here actually," he pleaded with her.

She couldn't' help herself. "Okay, fine. Lead the way," she relinquished. He smiled and grabbed her by the hand.

"Then lets go!" he said pulling her toward the exit.

10 minutes later they were standing in front of a huge Japanese maple tree. Naruto looked up into the branches smiling. "This is the oldest tree in Konoha," he said still looking up into the foliage. "When I was little I would come here to watch the festival fireworks. It also has a great view of the Hokage monument. You wanna see?" he asked looking at her excitedly.

She looked dubiously up the gigantic tree. "I don't know, Naruto-kun. This isn't really a climbing dress," she said apprehensively.

"No problem. I don't mind taking you up," he said scooping her into his arms bridal style. Her face was instantly a color that could have rivaled Sakura's yukata. He grinned down at her and leapt up to the first branch nimbly making his way up to the upper branches. Finally he stopped on a strong, sturdy limb close to the top and set her down. He settled down next to her gazing out at the Hokage monument in front of them. He had been right. It was a spectacular view from up here. She could even see the Hyuga estate with everyone partying in the garden.

"Wow! This is amazing, Naruto-kun!" she exclaimed. He looked over at her child like enthusiasm and smiled. She turned and smiled widely at him. "No wonder you like this place so much, you can see the whole village from up here!"

"Yeah, I came here a lot when I was young. It's where I decided I'd become Hokage. One day I looked out at the monument and all the people down below and decided the only way they'd accept me was if my face was up on that wall looking over them. It's where my dream was born," he said smiling reminiscently. They sat in a thoughtful silence for a time after that.

After a while Hinata looked over at him. He was looking out at the Hokage monument looking very thoughtful and determined. "I always knew it meant a lot to you, Naruto-kun, becoming Hokage. Thank you for sharing this place with me."

He looked over at her startled out of his thoughts. "It means even more to me now. Because of the girl I'm going to marry. Her family is important, you see. They would never accept a no one like me. I have to become Hokage to prove my worth to them." He looked over at her startled face. "Can you guess who she is yet, Hinata-chan?" he asked softly.

She knew exactly what she wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come out. For minutes she could only look into his bright, blue eyes and try to believe what they were telling her. When at last she found her voice she smiled and said "I-"

Suddenly four Anbu agents appeared around them. "Naruto, Tsunade-sama is reactivating you. You are to report to the Hokage tower with us immediately."

Naruto and Hinata just stared for a minute. "Umm, guys, we're a little busy right now, can I meet you there in, say 10 minutes?" Naruto said a little irritated.

"No. Tsunade-sama said immediately. I am authorized to remove you by force if need be," the anonymous masked man replied calmly.

Naruto made a noise close to kitten mewling and looked at Hinata. "I am so sorry, Hinata-chan, but this seems pretty serious. Look I'll see you for training tomorrow, though right?"

"Of course, Naruto-kun. Shino and I will be there around 10," she said softly. He smiled at her then looked at the Anbu agent in charge and all 5 of them disappeared without another word. Hinata just sat looking at the place he had been sitting a moment before and finally asked her final question.

"Am I your mystery girl, Naruto-kun?"

At the Hokage tower Naruto barged into Tsunade's office without knocking, per usual, with the four Anbu officers in tow. She looked up from her empty desk and took in the angry youth's face. She looked over his shoulder and made a gesture to dismiss the Anbu. They all disappeared in puffs of smoke.

"You picked a hell of a time to reactive me, Oba-chan! I was in the middle of something _really_ important when you-"

Tsunade put up her hand silencing him. "I had a very good reason, Naruto." She looked down at her desk again a pained expression on her face. "Jiriya is dead," she said heavily.

It took a few moments for her words to sink in. Images of his mentor flashed through his head. "What?" was all he could manage to say.

"Jiriya was gathering intel on the leader of the Akatsuki when he came face to face with him. He fell in battle against him. We are currently decoding his last message, but that isn't why I have called you here with such haste. The leader of the toads has requested your immediate presence. As Jiriya's pupil you must now follow him as a Toad sage. You will begin training immediately. There is a toad emissary waiting to take you to Mount Myōboku as we speak. I am sorry, Naruto, but you do not have time to grieve for him. Neither of us do. The village is in a critical juncture. If only one member of the Akasuki is strong enough to take out Jiriya singlehandedly we are facing an incredibly dangerous situation. You must go and become a senin, like your master before you. Dismissed." Tsunade stood up and turned to look out the window.

Naruto stood for a moment stone faced, then as it all sunk in at once a look of pure, singleminded determination settled into his expression. "Understood," he said in a steely voice and walked out the room closing the door behind him.

Tsunade stood there for a moment before breaking down. She leaned against the window, hugged herself, and cried for her fallen comrade. "I'm sorry, Naruto, but we need you to be strong. You are Konoha's best hope now."


	8. Waiting, And Then

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters.

Chapter 8: Waiting, And Then...

Hinata showed up early to the training grounds the next day only to be disappointed by Naruto's absence. When Shino arrived she told him what had happened the night before. He thought for a few moments before responding.

"It would appear a very important mission came up specifically for Naruto on short notice last night. Though the timing was unfortunate I'm sure the Hokage would not put a Anbu cell on locating him as fast as possible lightly. It is therefore unlikely he will be coming today," Shino said in his usual calm, calculating voice. Hinata's lowered head was his only response. So he said in a softer voice he only used with his sweet natured teammate, "Please don't worry, Hinata. Naruto is an excellent shinobi. I'm sure he will be able to handle whatever mission he is on."

Hinata's head snapped up and she had tears brimming in her eyes. "I should have said something when I had the chance. I hesitated Shino-kun. I wanted to say something, but I just...I just..." Finally the tears escaped. She sank to the ground and immediately Shino was at her side holding her.

"Hinata, what does this experience tell you? If you have remorse that you hesitated what will you do next time you see him?" he asked softly.

She suddenly stopped crying. His words hit her hard. He was right. She had hesitated her entire life, especially when it came to Naruto. "Next time I see him I will tell him exactly how I have felt my entire life," she responded calmly. She looked up into Shino's hooded face and beamed at him. "I have to confess, that's the only way I'll know, isn't it. At least then I'll know. Oh, Shino-kun, thank you so much," she wrapped her arms around him in a fast hug then stood up suddenly smiling. "Well, I guess we shouldn't wait on him then, lets get to work, Shino-kun!" she exclaimed punching the air in true Naruto fashion. Shino smiled behind his glasses and stood as well following her out onto the field.

Every time her beautiful face found its way into his thoughts he would fall off that infernal plank. Then he would remember why he was trying to still himself enough to balance on a mere pinpoint in the first place. Jiriya. He was in his thoughts just as much as Hinata had been over the last week. The last painful week of sage training. This was by far the hardest thing he had ever done. It was so unlike anything he had ever done before. But he refused to give up. The village needed him. Hinata needed him. He picked up his plank and focused his chakra into his feet to walk up the to top yet again.

Hinata scowled as she left the Hokage tower once more with out getting the information she wanted. It had been three weeks already with no word from or about Naruto. The guard around the village had been doubled, but still no one was getting any answers. She knew Naruto's sudden mission and the increased security around the village were connected, and she didn't even want the specifics. All see kept asking the Hokage after mission reports or when she randomly stopped by the tower was how much longer Naruto would be away. But the Hokage, while remaining patient (barely) refused to give her any information on Naruto's current mission. It was just her luck. Now that she had finally resolved to confront him he was no where to be found for Kami knows how long. She sighed and headed home.

Naruto sat perfectly still as he focused on all the energy around him. He finally understood. Pushing the feelings away was what caused him to fall. He now kept them all with him presently, all at once. The pain of Jiriya's death, the joy he felt when Hinata smiled at him, the smell of Ichiraku ramen, the last time he saw Sasuke's face, the impact of Sakura's punch...all of it was present with him at this singular moment. And so much more. He could feel the wind in the trees. He could feel the ground under him, even though he wasn't in direct contact with it, he felt the Earth singing. He could fell every inhabitant of Mount Myōboku present in his mind. Slowly he opened his eyes. "Well done," the small elder toad said from his own perch across from him.

Naruto grinned widely. "Thank you, Fukasaku-sensei."

The toad grinned back. "On to the final stage then."

Hinata looked up at the Hokage tower as she passed it on her way to meet Shino and Kiba for lunch. She sighed. It was pointless she quickly decided and she could tell she was coming close to breaking the Hokage's patience. It had been over a month since anyone in the village had seen or heard from Naruto. Not one thing. She sighed again. At least she knew he was still alive. She was confident Tsunade wouldn't keep that from her at least. She just saw her comrades waiting in front of her favorite tea shop when suddenly a huge eruption threw her off her feet. She regained her footing and ran to her teammates.

"What's going on?" Kiba yelled.

"It would seem the village is being attacked. Since our team is primarily sensory and the crisis has already revealed itself I advice we fall back to our perspective clans and regroup with more backup," Shino said quickly while summoning a swarm of bugs. "I will attach a scout to each of you in case you require assistance in the upcoming battle. My clan and I will come if you are encountered by the enemy and require assistance." With that he jump into the air his swarm carried him off.

Kiba glanced at Hinata and said, "Good luck," before jumping on Akamaru's back riding off down the street. Hinata took off in the other direction not a moment later. When she arrived at the estate she found her father and sister garbed for battle. Hiashi rushed toward her as soon as he saw her quickly embracing her.

"Thank Kami you weren't caught in the explosions. We are going to back up the troops. You will stay here with Saka and wait this out," he said.

Hinata couldn't believe her ears. "Excuse me? The Leaf is in crisis and you want me to run and hide while my comrades fight and die for their village?" she all but yelled at him.

Hiashi grabbed her hands and looked her in the eye. "You are the heir to our house. You must carry on our blood limit. Stay alive. You must." With that he looked to the group that had assembled around him and nodded. They all sprinted away. Hinabi looked back at her sister for a brief moment and said, "He's right. Just survive, Oni-chan, please," before following them into battle.

Hinata watched them all go with her mouth hanging open. Saka walked up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know its hard, Hinata-sama, but we must do what's best for the clan," he said solemnly.

She smacked his hand away and turned toward him. "And what is our clan without our village? Every clan member should protect Konoha first and Hyuga second," she proclaimed before running from the compound after her father and sister. Saka cursed and followed close on her heels.

She activated her Byakugan just in time to see two civilians about to be crushed by a crumbling building. She sprinted toward them and activated Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven to repel the debris just in time to save them. Just as she was telling them to head for the emergency shelters built into the Hokage monument Saka caught up with her.

"Hinata-sama, I have been tasked with your safety-" he started to say when Hinata rounded on him angrily.

"And I was tasked with the safety of this village when I became one of its shinobi. I will NOT stay behind lock and key when I can save lives. Do what you must, Saka-san, but you will have to defeat me before I go back to the estate. This is bigger than just one clan. Konoha needs us. ALL of us. Now either stand with me or get the hell out of my way," she finished confidently.

Saka just stared at her for a moment then smiled and nodded his head. "You will make a good leader, Hinata-sama. Lead the way."

She melted into a smile, then returned to reality. "Our focus is on evacuating and protecting the civilians. Activate your Byakugan. Anyone in need is our target. Most of the destruction seems to be happening toward the center of town, so that is our focus. Now, lets move out!" With that they both took to the roof tops.

For about an hour they continued evacuate and assist civilians at the heart of the devastation. While they were clearing out the last of the civilians closest to the battle zone another huge unexpected explosion erupted right underneath them. Saka just barely managed to get Hinata out of harm's way, but got caught in the blast himself. He was pretty badly wounded. Hinata stabilized him quickly and wanted to go find a med-nin when a huge white and blue slug crawled up and attached itself to Saka. She recognized it as the Hokage's summon Katsuyu and almost laughed in relief. Another tried to attach itself to her, but she held it in front of her and said, "I'm not injured. Please find someone, civilian or shinobi, who really needs your help." After a moment of contemplation it complied and slithered away. She smiled after it when another shockwave brought her back to the present. She activated her Byakugan just as Saka said, "Hinata-sama this area is still very dangerous we should move away. All the civilians have been evacuated."

"Your wounds are too grave to move you just yet, Saka-san" she said distractedly. She was really focusing on what her Byakugan had just picked up. It was Naruto. He was there in the middle of the destruction staring down the men and women responsible for Konoha's current condition. She couldn't take her eyes off him. He looked somehow stronger, more determined than she had ever seen him in her life. Before her eyes he charged the enemy. Throughout the battle against the five remaining Pains he shown more brilliantly than she had ever seen him before. It was all going so well. He defeated 4 of them, but then the ring leader joined the fight. He had the incredible ability to control the flow of gravity around his person. Then all too soon Naruto's toad companion was killed and he was nailed to the ground with chakra rods. As she watched him pierce her beloved Naruto with more and more of those accursed rods only one thought was surging through her mind. 'You can't lose him again. Don't hesitate anymore. He needs you. Go now.' She looked back at Saka and smiled. "I'm sorry, Saka-kun. If you see my father and sister again please tell them I'm sorry. Please tell Neji, too. But I must do this." With that she leapt away leaving a distraught and injured man struggling against the slug healing his wounds.

Hinata raced toward them reaching the battle ground just as Pain was about to deal the final blow. She activated her gentle fist technique aiming it for the most vulnerable spot available to her. He jumped away from her just in time as she took up a defensive stance in front of Naruto.

"I won't let you lay another finger on Naruto-kun," she said staring directly at her enemy.

Naruto gasped upon seeing her. What was she doing here. If anything happened to her he didn't know if...he knew he couldn't live without her. But these damned rods were keeping him from moving. "Get out of here!" he yelled. He had to get her away from here as soon as possible. "You're no match-"

"I know," she said cutting him off. "I'm just being selfish," she said without taking her eyes off her opponent.

Naruto was stunned for a moment. What could she possibly mean? "What are you talking about?! What're you doing here?! It's dangerous!" he screamed at her desperately.

She paused a moment before answering. Finally she said, "I'm here of my own free will." He didn't know how to respond to that and before he could think of another way to get her to run she went on. "I used to always cry and give up. I almost went the wrong way. But you showed me the right way. I was always chasing you, wanting to overtake you. I just wanted to walk with you. I wanted to be with you. You changed me. You're smile saved me! So I'm not afraid to die protecting you...because I love you!" With that she leapt at Pain. Naruto could barely keep track of the battle he was so overwelmed with love, concern, worry, and hope for the woman fighting on his behalf. When she activated her Gentle Step Twin Lion Fists and then managed to break another on of the rods imprisoning him he almost screamed at her to stop trying to save him and save herself for his sake. Then Pain threw her to ground once again and it was obvious she was done. But she got up again. And when she stumbled she got to her feet again. When she couldn't get to her feet again she crawled the rest of the way to him. She finally reached him and grabbed the rod piercing his hands feebly trying to pull it out.

"Why Hinata-chan? Why?" he whispered.

"Because I don't go back on my word. That's my Nindo. Right, Naruto-kun? She smiled that perfect smile for him just before she flew up into the air. She twirled upward for an eternity before Pain flung her to back to the ground. The last thing he saw was Pain stabbing her through the heart with a rod then everything went black.

Hinata groaned softy as she came back to consciousness. Her head was swimming and everything hurt. Slowly the pain began to melt away. She managed to open her eyes and saw Sakura over her and a green glow at her chest. She tried to look down, but it brought back the pain.

"Don't move, Hinata. You've been critically wounded. I'm doing what I can, but we need to get you away from the battle as soon as possible," Sakura said in a no nonsense tone.

"Battle?" Hinata managed to whisper. Then it all came rushing back. The attack on the village, Naruto's return, her confession, and fighting Pain. Where was she now? She had lost and Naruto was still in trouble! She tried to sit up clumsily.

"Hinata! Lay still! You could reopen your wounds and you've already lost a lot of blood. Lay still, dammit!" Sakura said while trying to maintain her jutsu and hold the struggling girl down.

"Where is Naruto? He needs help!" she said through gritted teeth still fighting against the med-nin.

"Naruto is still fighting Pain, Hinata. After you were struck down he went crazy and transformed into...I'm really not sure what to be honest. But they are still fighting and its not safe to stay here, so lay still and let me finish so we can transport you to the safe houses in the monument. Please, Hinata. You've already done more for him than anyone else could have hoped to. You need to rest now so you can see him when he's won." Sakura looked at her hard daring her to talk back once more.

Hinata relaxed slightly activating her Byakugan. She found them about a mile away just outside the village. She gasped when she saw the battle in front of her. It was on an entirely different level than anything she had ever seen before. It was like she was watching one of her mother's stories of the great shinobi of the age of constant war.

"You need to save your strength Hinata, Please deactivate your Byakugan. Every little bit of chakra helps me heal you faster," Sakura pleaded. Hinata complied. She closed her eyes and relaxed the jutsu and the remaining tension left her body with it. She tried to open her eyes again, but it took too much effort. Without another word she slipped back to unconsciousness.

When she awoke again she was laying in a hospital bed in an unfamiliar building. Her gaze wandered slowly around the room until it came to rest on a spiky blond head resting on bed next to her. He looked to be asleep. Her gaze moved down a little more and saw him holding her hand. She smiled involuntarily and squeezed his hand very gently as if to make sure it wasn't a figment of her imagination. Her movement roused him and he lifted his head confused for a moment, then looked up at her with relief etched all over his face.

"Hinata-chan! You're finally awake! Thank Kami!" He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it tenderly making the poor girl blush furiously. "You had us really worried there for a while," he said smiling at her gently.

"How long have I been asleep?" Hinata asked realizing he had unshed tears of relief in his eyes.

"Almost 3 days," he replied.

Hinata couldn't believe it, then sat up startled and looked around again. "The village! Is everyone safe? How many civilian casualties were there? My father and sister went out to fight, too. Are they ok?" Naruto leaned forward and grabbed her shoulders firmly to calm her.

"Calm down and I'll answer all your questions. Most of the village was destroyed. Restoration has been underway for several days. There were 32 casualties, 11 civilian and 21 shinobi, neither of which were your father or sister. They were here yesterday to check on your condition. Saka is fine, too. He was discharged the day after the battle. Kiba and Shino are fine, too. They've stopped by everyday to check on you. Neji and Ten-Ten were on a mission, so missed most of the fighting. Neji hasn't had time to come by because he's been on search and rescue looking for anyone who might still be trapped under all destruction." Naruto paused looking down at their still entwined hands. "You really scared me, you know," he whispered. "I thought I had lost you before I got a chance to tell you."

"Tell me what, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked with bated breath.

He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "That you were my mystery girl," he said through a watery grin. "I love you, too, Hinata-chan."

She wasn't sure if she should pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming or just let the dream go on. Before she could think of anything to do Naruto was leaning in and kissing her softly. Her eyes drooped close and she wrapped her arms around him pulling him into a deeper kiss. She wasn't sure how long they sat that way, but didn't want it to end, so just kept kissing him.

"Eh-hem, don't mean to interrupt, but you guys sort of have an audience," a voice said to their right. They broke apart and whipped around to see a nurse giggling behind her clip board. Behind her stood a less amused Hiashi and Neji. Hanabi, however, was as amused as the nurse seemed to be and finally let out the laughter she was holding in. Hinata blushed bright pink as Naruto stood up quickly putting his hand on his head and a little distance between them.

"Oto-sama! Neji-niisan! Ano, thank you for visiting, ano...it is wonderful to see you both in good health...ano...after the attack and all...Hanabi-chan please stop laughing!" Hinata finally yelled at her sister only making her laugh even more. Hiashi looked down at his younger daughter silencing her with a glare. Neji had a mixture of anger, amusement, and frustration in his voice was he greeted them. Hiashi just stared at his daughter with a guarded expression, then at Naruto for a moment.

Feeling very out of place the nurse excused herself awkwardly and hurried out of the room. Hiashi finally looked back at Hinata and said, "We have much to discuss, Hinata, but for now I will just say I am relieved to finally see you back with us. We look forward to your return home. Thankfully much of the estate was unharmed in the attack, so you may return whenever your doctors are satisfied with your recovery. Until then take care." He then shot a look that could kill in Naruto's direction. "A little discretion from now on, please, Naruto-san. I expect you to escort Hinata home when she is discharged. You and I have much to discuss." With that he turned to leave. Hanabi flashed them a toothy grin and waved before following after him leaving just Neji in the room. He hung his head with a sigh, but looked back at them with smile.

"It is good to see you feeling better, Hinata-sama. And I am happy for you both, truly. Just remember what Hiashi-sama said about discretion, k?" He chuckled at their mute nods of agreement and followed the main branch members out of the room closing the door after himself.

They stood and sat there in silence for a minute before Naruto looked back at her with a mollified expression. "Sorry, about that, Hinata-chan. Did I just totally screw things up?"

Hinata was still staring at the door when she answered, "I don't think so, Naruto-kun. If Oto-sama was truly mad he would have forbade you from every seeing me again, but he just invited you back into his house. I think he's okay with us." She looked back at him suddenly worried, "But the elders won't be. They're too traditional for their own good sometimes. What if they don't accept our relationship?" Naruto just laughed and took her hand in his again.

"Our love just saved the entire village, Hinata-chan. I don't think anyone would stand in our way now," he said smiling widely at her. "And don't forget I'm gonna be the next Hokage! If I have to wait for you until I can make them change their stupid rules then I will. I won't let anything or anybody keep us apart now that I finally have you."

She looked up into his bright, hopeful eyes and smiled. "You're right, I won't let anything keep us apart either, Naruto-kun." With that she pulled him down and kissed him again.


End file.
